Take Me Away
by Kitten Kisses
Summary: [rated for dark angst]The struggle to overcome a past of grief and tragedy is hard for a woman who feels that she is all alone in this world. The memories haunt her constantly and she can't erase the pain of a broken past. [KratosRaineRegal Triangle]
1. Prologue

_**Take Me Away**_

_**UPDATE**_ This story has been EDITED on April 24th, 2007. Originally started on October 16th, 2004._**  
**_

* * *

This came to me while collecting the Devil's Arms. That, and, "Holy Water" from Big & Rich's cd. One of the only "serious" songs they've sung, but yet, one of the best I've heard as of late. 

Warnings:: There may be spoilers, but, more so, the rating is there for a reason. Dark pasts, angst, and things that anyone under the age of 13 might be better off not reading. VERY slight AU too- though not entirely so. Updates may be slow!

Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own, so you no sue.

Pairings:: I always find it best when pairings are given straight up. Lloyd/Colette, Sheena/Zelos, A little of the Lloyd/Sheena crush (though only a little), some Regal/Raine, and Kratos/Raine. Maybe a little Genis/Presea in there too. Since they're so cute. The fic centers around Raine. Lots of friendshippy moments.

Summary- The struggle to overcome a past of grief and tragedy is hard for a woman who feels that she is all alone in this world. The memories haunt her daily, and she can't erase the pain, the memories, or the touch. Kratos/Raine/Regal triangle Among others'.

* * *

Holding the Heart of Chaos close to her, the silver-haired young woman followed the rag-tag group up the stairs that led out of the Temple of Darkness. Having just won against the young man whom they had believed to be an ally, Raine thought that the group would have been slightly…distraught. 

They had worked so hard to find the Devil's arms for Abyssion, thinking that it would end his curse. But rather, he used the weapons for only his own gain. Which, in turn, had led to his demise.

"I had a feeling…" Lloyd's voice broke the silence of the temple. When the group stopped to glance at him questioningly, he paused. "I mean… The look in his eyes when he saw us…"

"Yeah," Zelos interrupted. "He was too excited. I mean, I suppose that it would be perfectly normal for him to be happy if his curse was gonna be lifted, but-"

"The gleam…" Presea stated softly from behind Raine. The silver-haired half-elf turned slightly to look at the pigtailed girl's solemn face. "His eyes…they gleamed in the darkness…"

Regal's shackles clinked lightly as he pulled an arm up to wipe at his face. "The shadows danced in his eyes," he said, a frown etched into his features.

"I thought he was an ally," Genis said quietly from beside Lloyd. "But he used us… Typical human…"

"Genis!" Raine muttered angrily from where she stood. "You know all human's are not like that!"

"I'm sorry…" he muttered slightly; looking not at his sister, but rather, at Lloyd.

"It's okay Genis," the brown-haired youth assured the young mage, patting him on the head. "We all should have been paying more attention…"

Sheena let out a muffled sigh from the back of the line. "We can't trust just anybody, you know." Glaring at Zelos, even though the Chosen of Tethe'alla could, in no way, see her, she continued. "You never know when Zelos will just leave the group to go and oogle over his hunnies."

"Oh, but, my lovely Sheena! You would rather I stay with you, wouldn't you?" The red-haired man said suggestively.

"Shut up!" the ninja girl yelled, her voice echoing off of the dark walls of the temple.

"We had best hurry," Regal said finally, after a slight pause.

The group must have agreed, for they all started back up the stairs to the entrance.

After reaching the entrance, the group had hoped to see the light of day peeking out from the other side of the large doors. Instead, they found the looming deep night.

There were a lot of things that Raine did not like, and, the darkness was one of them. Whenever the sun sank below the western sky, her stomach would knot up so badly that the feelings of suffocation and the need to run would overwhelm her.

She didn't feel safe.

But how could she? He was still out there. Somewhere. Feeling a tingling sensation down her spine, she turned slightly to see a pair of blue eyes watching her carefully. Pushing her nervousness down mentally, she smiled at her younger brother. "What is it, Genis?" she asked softly, so as to not wake the others'.

"I couldn't sleep…" the young mage sighed, toting a blanket behind him.

Ever since the young silver haired boy was a child, he had had trouble getting to sleep. Raine knew why, of course. She had raised him from infancy. "Come," she told the young boy, patting the ground beside her. "You can sleep here…just for tonight."

"You always say that," he yawned, curling up on the ground beside his big sister. Within minutes, his breathing slowed.

The silver haired healer sighed in relief, and lightly brushed the young boy's bangs off of his forehead. She had tried to teach him right from wrong, even though, she didn't even know the difference some of the time. He was starting to hate humans… Really hate them… The people of Tethe'alla disliked half-elves, so, what was the young boy to think?

The treatment of Half-elves in the land of Tethe'alla was worse than that in Sylvarant. After being discovered to be Half-elves, they had been led away to execution- and the knights had not let them forget it either. If they were to die soon anyway, why not have a little fun? She had done her best to protect her younger brother, though… he had still been forced to watch.

It could have been worse. She liked to repeat that to herself as often as possible. And she liked to think about it too. Try to think on the bright side of things. At least… at least they hadn't tried to touch her…

Lying her head down beside Genis', she felt her stomach knot up once again. The need to flee presented itself to her. But…she wouldn't leave. Not yet. Not until she absolutely had to.

He might be a powerful man, even after the passing of eight years. But she had an advantage. He didn't know where to find her. But how long that would last, she didn't know.

Every night, she prayed for one more day of safety for Genis…

* * *

End Chapter 1. 

I hope it was at least partially interesting. ) I'm a fan of writing a lot of thoughts. Getting into the characters thoughts and emotions is something that makes reading worthwhile. ) Reviews and Constructive Criticism welcome. Flames are laughed at and tossed to Efreet.

::Pawprints::

-KK


	2. Deep Blue

QUICK A/N :: I just wanted to let everyone know that the "he" she is talking about, is an OC (original character).

Take Me Away

Chapter 2—Deep Blue

**I live this life, until this life won't let me live here anymore  
Then I will walk, yes I will walk with patience through that open door  
I have no fears, angels follow me wherever I may go  
I live this life, till this life won't let me live here anymore **

**-Big & Rich**

* * *

Genis lay awake for a few moments after the sun's golden rays poked out from over the tops of the Eastern mountains. He could still see…_feel_, what he had dreamt about… Long, silver hair had cascaded down her back… Bright blue eyes watched him lovingly. Part of his dream… he couldn't remember all of what he had _seen_ while in his slumber, but he did remember the hair. Such beautiful, soft hair. And so long…the longest he had ever seen in his life. He remembered running his hands through it…

And the crying… Oh! he remembered it all too well. As of late, he had been dreaming of shaking sobs. He couldn't see who was crying, he couldn't see anything… except silver. Even now, he couldn't remove the sobs from his mind. Never had he heard such a sound. The woman who cried in his dreams sounded as if her soul had been ripped from her chest.

The first thought was of his mother. He had never seen her… but he had heard about her. Raine had always told him that he looked just like her. The thought that he looked like the mother that he had never met made him feel…proud.

He blinked slowly as he thought about his dream. Normally, he would bombard his older sister with questions about what he dreamt; ask her if she was able to explain it. But for some reason, he decided that, this time… he would keep it to himself. Maybe the next dream would be different. Maybe the next one would give an explanation…

But he had been saying that for nearly a week and a half now. When would it end?

Feeling the space beside him strangely empty, he turned over expecting to see Raine ready to scold him for sleeping beside her. For the longest time, she had had trouble remembering things when she woke up. Sometimes though, it could be scary. Several times, she had rushed around looking for a particular uniform that he had never even seen, insisting she was late for work.

But this… This morning he was strangely relieved. She seemed to be sleeping all right… Facing away from him, but at least she wasn't tossing and turning.

He blew air through his lips and sighed. Ever since they had come back from Hakonesia Peak with the Heart of Chaos, Raine had been reverting back to her old self. The person only Genis knew. And Genis had started to have those…dreams. Of course, he _knew_ that it couldn't possibly be the Heart of Chaos causing it. There had to be a deeper, underlying cause.

Just the other morning, Raine had been ripping at her own arms. Running her long nails into her bare flesh, as if trying to cut it all away. And, her eyes… When she was awakened, her eyes were so…deep. It had scared Genis very much to see such a thing. It was almost as if she was trying subconsciously to hurt herself; to maybe even take away her own life, her own being. And he didn't understand. She had been sleeping while she was doing it, and when she woke up, she couldn't remember doing it. Her eyes had just been so deep of a color. Dark, just… it wasn't a word suited for the description. They were deep, and bottomless. _Endless_, _and full of sadness, of regret…of… fear?_

Genis was just glad that nobody else had been awake to witness it... Being half-elves gave them enough problems… He didn't want his friends to see the other side of Raine, the side that only he had seen, that… that he could remember as far back as he could recall.

He wouldn't call it her "darker" side. Just, simply, her _other_ side. The side that didn't obsess over archaeological ruins or artifacts. The side of her that wasn't as tough as she appeared to be, the side where she was a different person. Imperfect, breakable. _The side that hid behind walls of ice. A broken spirit…_

Sitting up, he looked over at his sister and cocked his head to the side. She wasn't usually such a _silent_ sleeper. He knew Raine. He knew her after living under the same roof for so long. And she was never so quiet.

Feeling his heart thumping in his chest, he stood up and moved to her other side to get a look at her face. She was curled up on her side in a fetal position, her face hidden under her left arm. He didn't consider that to be so strange, really. It was actually how she slept much of the time- and- though he wasn't sure why, he had never thought it to be weird.

"Raine?" he whispered in the early morning sunrise. The Professor was a light sleeper. Normally, any sound would wake her up instantly. "Raine, it's time to get up," he urged, whispering slightly louder. Setting his hand on her arm, he tugged lightly, and her hand hit the soft ground with a light thud.

Her face was pale, and sweat dripped down her face and neck, soaking her clothes. A little bit of blood dripped from her lips; most likely she had bitten her tongue, or the inside of her cheek. Reaching out his hand, he touched hers hesitantly.

Normal.

He sighed with relief. She was probably dreaming again… He was rather hoping that she wasn't sick… though, he wasn't sure that her dreams were much different. It was normal for her to be awakened like this… At least, it had been at one point in time… He remembered that five years ago, or so… he had seen her like that… he had seen her while she slept… And, he had been terrified. Not for her. _Of her…_ And he regretted that. He knew he had hurt her then, watching her with wide, scared eyes as she wiped her brow and dabbed away a trickle of blood from the corner of her lip.

But, for the last couple of years, he had thought, no… He had _hoped_ that she had gotten over it. That the woman she really was, was the Professor. The Professor was tough, charismatic, and obsessed over anything to do with History or learning. But now… now he knew that The Professor wasn't Raine. The Professor was how she acted in front of the others'. Genis _knew_ the Professor now. He _knew_ her. She had been his teacher, his sister, a friend, and… a mother. But now, he was seeing Raine. Stark and bare before him. A woman who wasn't so perfect, who was different from the others', different from _him_. And he didn't understand why she had to be so different. So… so _strange_.

But still…he didn't want the others' to see her like this. They had an image in their minds of a strong woman who never acted like anything was wrong, whose only weakness was her love of archaeological findings. But Genis knew better. He knew something was wrong. Something important, something…something _bad._

Such a simple word "bad" was. But yet, it held so much meaning for him. What was _bad_? Was he bad? Was Raine? Was Lloyd, or Colette, or Regal? What about Mithos, or Kratos, or Yuan? Who exactly, was _bad_?

The others' didn't need to see Raine weakened, different. He didn't want them to know that she was any different than they had come to think. Within a few minutes, most of the group would be awake, ready to go on…to move on…

"Sis," he said in a low voice. "Wake up, please? It's getting late…" He shook her lightly and sat back on his heels to wait for her to wake up.

Her dark eyelashes fluttered lightly against her pale skin as her eyes struggled to open. After a few moments, sky blue orbs looked up at Genis wearily. "Thank you, Genis," she said slowly, reaching up a hand to her mouth to feel the stickiness of blood there. It certainly wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last either. She lowered her eyes to the ground and stood shakily to her feet. "I have to…" she started, another thin stream of blood oozing over her bottom lip.

"Wash up," Genis finished for her, smiling slightly. She nodded slightly, and started to open her mouth, but Genis interrupted. "I won't tell anyone," he promised, his smile turning into a slight frown.

"Good," she said. Her eyes softened. "Don't worry about me, Genis. It's for the better…"

But Genis wasn't so sure. He watched her slight form fade into the distance as he thought.

'_Should I tell Lloyd?' he asked himself. 'But… then, he might… Lloyd might not like me as much if he knew…'_

The rational part of his mind told him that Lloyd wouldn't leave him, leave _them_… That Lloyd would help. That Lloyd could find out what was wrong with Raine, what was making her act so strange.

But the part of his mind that remembered treatment of the humans… The way that they treated him, that they treated Raine… made him flinch. He couldn't remember the voices, or the words… Just their expressions. Sylvarant was not a nice place. Not at its core. Not in uncharted civilizations, villages that tried to remain hidden. Like the slum in a big city, there were small villages scattered across the continent of Sylvarant. Small towns that held crazy people, lunatics, cults, fiends…thieves… and worse.

But you had to stumble upon them by accident, on foot.

They were dark… not physically, but they felt ominous. A dark cloud blanketed them all.

The silver-haired youngster sighed. Why was he remembered all these things now, of all times?

* * *

She hated being alone. It just wasn't safe. And her mind reminded her of this fact every chance it got. She could always run back to the group and be bombarded with questions on her appearance.

Or she could sit on the edge of the bank of the small pond she was already at, and think. Gosh…did she need to think. For the past few weeks, she had been having dreams of things that she tried daily to forget. Images flooded her mind in the hours when rest was needed.

She refused to be seen at a moment when she was weak- by anybody. Not Lloyd, not Colette, and not even Genis.

Genis… 

The young boy who would soon be a young man. She had been taking care of her brother for…nearly twelve years now. She almost dreaded the fact that he was soon to be a teenager. They were actually a lot closer than most people knew. Of course, she had to keep Genis in line… A bop in the head here or there… and a spanking when he deserved it.

But they had been through so much…

Even though Genis didn't know the half of it. Not really… How could he? He had been just two at the time. And she had been fourteen. A young teenage girl raising a child on whatever she could find… on whatever she could _get_.

And that was never enough. But sacrifices were made when needed, and more than once she had gone to sleep hungry; on side streets with Genis tucked under her arm. At least he had eaten…At least he was _safe_…

Shaking her head, the half-elf woman looked down into the clear waters of the pond. Her reflection shimmered there… small ripples forming at the surface of her image when a small fish or tadpole splashed in the cool waters.

Reaching her fingertips into the reflection, she swirled her index finger into the water, distorting the image of herself. She was a pretender. A fake, false. Unreal. As the ripples ceased, her image reflected back at her.

And she _hated_ it.

The image in the water wasn't her! It wasn't! She didn't look like that! Her eyes weren't full of false joy! They weren't! It was _real_ joy! _Real_ happiness. She had found happiness at last, hadn't she? She really, truly was happy…

So why didn't she really believe herself?

Her eyes narrowed, and her reflection's eyes narrowed as well. A mix of emotions raced through her mind at once. The dreams, the memories, the pain, and… the anger. Oh, the anger! Anger at herself- at her reflection. How could she be so weak and pathetic all of a sudden?

It had been nearly eight years since she had last _seen _him…and five years since she had heard from him last…But she had gotten away. She had _run_. She thought that she had gotten over that. Over what had _happened_. About those years of hurt, of suffering.

But first, at Lake Umacy, she was reminded of it- of _him_. And then, at Hakonesia Peak she had been forced to think about him. Things she didn't want to remember came back to her in a rush.

Lifting her face slightly, she gazed at the new light of the day. The golden rays poured from the sun and spilled onto the tips of the mountains, highlighting gold in the lush green grass.

Sunrises were always a wondrous sight.

'A sunrise is the beginning of a new day… while the sunset is the close of an old day… A lot like life really… A sunrise symbolizes the beginning of a new life… while a sunset would symbolize the end of one… How ironic…'

Lowering her gaze to the pond again, she watched her reflection as sad blue eyes blinked back at her. Her anger came back to her at the sight of herself. Was this how she appeared to the others'? A weak, spineless woman, who couldn't protect herself?

A woman who couldn't do anything? As a young adult, she hadn't been able to do anything either. She hadn't been able to protect herself, protect her mind, her soul… or her body.

Her blue eyes flashed as her hand hit the reflection, scattering her image into thousands of small ripples.

* * *

All chapters will be rather on the short side. I work a lot, and everything I write is written in any small amount of spare time I have. I revised this twice, and added to it. I hope it's angsty enough. I listen to The Carpenter's throughout the chapter. I hope to get some Sheelos in the next chapter. )

Explanation:: Why won't Genis mention Raine's problems to the group? Both he and Raine are afraid of what the others' will think. Genis tries his best to keep the others from finding out about the strange things Raine does while sleeping. (i.e.:: clawing/ripping at her own arms)

If you thought I worked a lot then- I pull 40+ hours a week at a factory now, so I'm lucky if I can write anything at all.

::o Pawprints o::


	3. This Masquerade

**Are we really happy?  
With this lonely game we play?  
Looking for the right words to say…  
Searching but not finding  
Understanding anyway  
We're lost,  
In this masquerade…**

**--The Carpenters**

* * *

_Take Me Away_  
Chapter 3- This Masquerade

A/N: I realized that Colette wasn't in the previous chapters'. I'm awfully sorry about that!  
Dedicated to: Pottervo29 The Sheelos is here just for you! (even if it isn't much…) )

* * *

The haze lifted in her mind, her thoughts and dreams of the night rising with it. Feeling the light warmth of the morning sun on her back, she smiled lightly. She liked the feeling of the sun shining down on her, the radiance of morning. 

Though it was still rather early to be up and about. She estimated it to be only about seven in the morning… not really the best time to be running around, ready to move out. But…still…

If she was busy, putting her all into her work, then she wouldn't have time to think. And, she liked that. She liked to keep busy whenever it was possible. She didn't want to be reminded of what happened with Volt, of Kuchinawa, or of the villagers she had recklessly killed that fateful day.

Frowning at the memory, she sat up and rubbed her tired eyes with the backs of her hands. Sometimes, it just seemed that life wasn't fair. But she wasn't going to blame her problems on anyone else. Or on any_thing_ else.

She firmly believed that it was _her_ fault that half of Mizuho was killed, that Kuchinawa's parents were gone…

And she… She _knew_ the feeling of loss. She knew it well. It hurt… it really, really _hurt_. The sting of loss would never leave… it would lessen, over time. But it lingered in the back of the mind, in the back of _her_ mind.

And she berated herself for thinking depressing thoughts on such a lovely day. But she could never simply "make it up" to the people of Mizuho, to Kuchinawa. To the lost time of her Grandfather. She had turned a childhood friend against her… she had made him hate her. She had injected the fury and anger into his veins with her own hands, her own mind…her own _failure_.

And though she was determined to never fail again, she lived every day in fear that she was going to slip up again. That she was going to make a false move, and that another one of the people close to her would end up like Kuchinawa, or dead.

And she wasn't sure which was worse.

"You… look deep in thought," a small voice pierced through the silence in her mind.

Sheena's deep brown eyes looked up quickly to see Presea kneeling beside her, watching her quietly. "I… well… yeah, I guess I was…" she admitted, pushing a few stray locks of dark hair behind her ears.

Presea nodded. "I… I've been thinking too. About Alicia, and about myself. About… About who I really am…"

Sheena watched the girl who was younger in appearance carefully. It seemed that most of the group… had lived hard lives. But Sheena could admit to herself that Presea's was one of the worst. To wake up one day to realize that everything you had known was gone…

"About my feelings, my desires, my wishes…" she finished, sighing heavily. Her hair swaying lightly against her face, the pigtailed girl shook her head. "I don't really know what's right, and what's wrong…not anymore."

"After everything we've seen… the way exphere's are…made, the way the Desians really are…the horrible discrimination by humans and elves… I'm not sure myself," Sheena told her companion. "But… I think that we're doing the right thing…"

Presea smiled. "I'm glad. I…needed to hear that. Thank you."

Sheena smiled as the other girl stood up. "You're welcome, though… I'm not sure I actually said anything all that helpful."

"You did," Presea assured her. "You did…you've helped quite a bit." She smoothed back the hair that was lightly blowing against her skin, and shaded her eyes from the early morning sun before looking back down at the ninja girl. "It's… going to rain," she announced softly.

"But it's so bright out," the dark-haired assassin commented. "I was rather hoping for a gorgeous sunny day…"

Inside, her thoughts were reeling. She didn't like the rain, she hated it… It was so depressing, the way it poured out of the sky, ruining everything… Just like the light drizzle on the morning of her…her _failure._

She sighed. "Well… we had better get packing soon then, so we can find a place to stay…"

"Eleven o'clock," her companion told her. "It should rain a little bit before then… or after… "

Presea seemed to have a way with the weather. She seemed to know when it would rain, the day, and sometimes even the time. Once in awhile, her timing was off, but it never did fail. It would at least drizzle every time rain was predicted.

Sheena stood up and observed the camp. Having slept out under the stars, it was easy to spot everyone. Lloyd was off right across from where she stood, on the other side of the smothered ashes of their fire from the night before. Colette was beside him, snuggling up to the brown haired teenager's side.

Sheena sighed, feeling rather rejected. Colette was so lucky… she didn't even have to fight for Lloyd's affections… she already had them. From the beginning. And, Sheena supposed that it was obvious. No matter how hard the assassin had tried to gain his affections, they always bounced off of him. He didn't notice. He didn't care. He was only trying to be nice…

And she hated feeling lonely while she was surrounded by so many people…

Regal slept a few feet away from Lloyd's right, and beside him Zelos slept. A small blanket covered the red-haired Chosen's face. It almost looked like he was hiding from the world.

On Colette's left, sat Genis, going through supplies and food. Sheena hoped that Genis would be the one to cook breakfast this morning. Everything the half-elf cooked tasted great.

Raine was the only one missing from the circle…

_'She's probably washing up…'_ Sheena thought to herself, nodding silently. _'Or she's off trying to make herself look nice…'_ A twinge of jealousy twisted in her stomach. Not that she would admit it, but sometimes, she got jealous of the attention the professor got. The half-elf woman was not only attractive, but intelligent. What guy in his right mind wouldn't like her?

And she couldn't help her next thought… _'Though, now that her fan club knows that she is only half elf, they all have turned on her…'_

Now the ninja girl was feeling horrible. Already smacking herself mentally for thinking such a thought, she grabbed some clean clothes and ducked into a small section of woods to change.

As she pulled her dirty uniform over her head, she sighed. Why was she thinking such horrible thoughts about the Professor? Raine was a great woman. Sure, she could be pushy, harsh at times, but she had feelings too. She'd gone through things because of her heritage… Things that nobody else could understand.

She wasn't like other humans in Tethe'alla! She wasn't! She was _different_. She didn't discriminate against half-elves. She treated everyone equally. Everyone deserved to live. Especially the people she had come to care for.

And Raine was one of those people. Even though they hardly spoke one-on-one… and they would probably never become best friends…

Tying the sash on her clean outfit, she picked up her discarded clothing and made her way back to the camp.

Genis and Presea already had a fire lit, and breakfast started. Sheena smiled. Genis' crush on the pink haired girl was very cute. And, as Presea hadn't been able to recall growing older, she was still quite literally a twelve-year-old in most respects.

Except maybe intelligence. But, Genis could hold intelligent conversations with scholars, so that really wasn't a big deal.

Now…on to other tasks… Such as…waking the Chosen of Tethe'alla. She stood beside the red-headed man and nudged him with the toe of her shoe.

He slowly pulled the blanket away from his face and looked up at Sheena, a small smile covering his features. "Am I in Heaven, oh angel?"

Sheena huffed and rolled her eyes. "No, you're not. You're at the gates of hell."

"But such a lovely woman doesn't exist there," he smiled at her wider and sat up, straightening his hair with his fingers. "Oh, no… a tangle…" He pulled at it swiftly, trying to get it out with force.

"Try a _brush_," Sheena said sarcastically, handing over her own. "You wouldn't want to damage your beautiful hair by ripping it out, now would you?"

"Oh Sheena! I didn't think you cared…" He batted his eyelashes at her slightly and took the brush from the assassin's hand. When he brought the brush up to his hair to untangle the knot, he noticed a light melon scent coming from the brush.

He wondered if Sheena's hair smelled like melons. The light sweet scent was almost intoxicating. He liked the smell…not that he would say so to her face, of course. It would be too embarrassing with everyone standing around like they were.

But maybe he would say something another time… when they were alone… but he couldn't promise it, even to himself. Life was just too unpredictable.

* * *

Raine wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, as her mind had been on her past… Unwanted thoughts coming to the surface one after the other, almost like a chain reaction that couldn't be stopped. 

She estimated that, from the position of the sun, she had been there for a little over two hours. Though the time had seemed to be flowing much slower than usual. She knew, however, that time could not simply flow 'slower' than normal. It went against every law, and every principal.

Looking at the darkening sky, she decided that maybe, it was time to get back to the group. There was no doubt in her mind that they would all want to move on to find shelter soon. The grey clouds in the sky rather matched her mood though, she thought.

Dreary. She was hiding behind a mask, and she wasn't going to let anyone take it off. Which made her wonder… She made herself busy so that she could forget- if just for a moment- everything that had happened in years past. She wore the mask to fool the others'.

So, how many of the others' did the same thing? Who was fooling her? All of them carried a weight, a burden, on their shoulders. Reminders of failures from the past, or of coming responsibilities.

Who else wore the mask? The mask of happiness, the mask of joy? Was she the only one? Were the two Chosen's truly happy with their lives? What about Lloyd? He had made a mistake, and it had cost the lives of the people he'd grown up knowing. And Colette; she had failed the journey of Regeneration in the eyes of the people.

And there was Sheena, who had not understood Volt's language, and for that, she had paid the price. Shunned by a few people from the village, and betrayed by a childhood friend…How could she be truly happy?

And, of course… Regal and Kratos… Both of them had, with their own two hands, killed the one that they loved the most in life. Anna and Alicia both had hopes and dreams. And those dreams were crushed in the short span of time it took for their hearts to stop beating.

And Raine knew that the two men felt horrible about what they'd done. Regal, the way that he had handcuffed himself in order to prevent hurting anyone else like he had done with Alicia. Every time he looked down at his hands, he was reminded of his past deeds. And even more so when they had brought Clara back to her former self. There was a cure… if only he had waited…if only…

And Kratos… Raine could see the anger and hurt in his eyes back at the Asgard Human Ranch, when Kvar had spoken ill of Anna. At first, Raine had been confused as to the reason why the mercenary had gotten so defensive. But it wasn't long before they all had found out the truth.

Kratos was Lloyd's father… It was still almost a hard thing to believe. Though, after most of the things the group had seen, finding out that Lloyd's real father was Kratos shouldn't have been such a shock.

But it was… especially to Lloyd. The brown-haired youth's father was an angel of Cruxis, and… a traitor.

Though, Raine wasn't particularly fond of the word. Traitor wasn't really what she preferred to call the man who had helped them so much. Even though he had supposedly betrayed them, the angel had continued to watch over them, helping them at ever difficult turn…

And nobody was sure why…

Except Raine. She knew, she knew it was Lloyd. A father couldn't abandon his own son in the blink of an eye. She really believed that the auburn-haired man had a lot of honor. At least as much, if not more-so than some of the people she traveled with now.

But that man was infuriating! Not all the time, of course. Just part of the time. Her initial opinion of him was that he was good-looking _and_ strong. She was sure that she would be safe with Colette and Kratos around.

Of course, the man had to make a statement about how worthless having a woman around was. That statement had stung. She couldn't do anything at the time, except give lectures that bored her class to sleep. And she hated feeling worthless. The feeling that you couldn't help the cause, or help your friends…it just… it was horrible.

And the look that Kratos had shot her before the start of every battle, that clearly said to stay out of his way. And even now, the group had to watch her, to make sure that an enemy didn't come down from above to break a spell she was casting.

She really didn't like to be considered a hindrance in battle. Even though she knew that it was partially true. When she ran out of the energy to heal or attack, she was useless. And it took so _much_ energy to cast anything…

Sighing, she gathered up her orange coat and shrugged back into it. She preferred to be covered up as thoroughly as possible. She didn't like her body, nor did she like the way she looked. She liked hiding it. Underneath all the layers of clothing, she was safe.

At least, she liked to believe so.

They sky was now an even deeper shade of grey, and cracks of thunder began to roll in the distance. She knew that the group was waiting for her. Some were probably annoyed, others might be worried. Taking one glimpse back into the pond, she saw a silver-haired young woman with blue eyes, pale skin, light pink lips, and a small smile.

Pushing her hair over her ears, she started on her way back to the group.

From a tree only a few feet away from the pond, a light chuckle could be heard. Black boots dangled out of one of the lower limbs, and a tan arm gripped the trunk of the tree. "I've found you… Abyssion was such a fool… but worth it…" He laughed again as he saw the woman's form fade into the distance, his free hand reaching up to move silky black bangs out of his grey eyes.

"Soon, my dear…soon…" he muttered to himself, shifting his position on the branch. "You're lucky that you were so close to your…friends. But the moment that you stray, you'll be mine again… I want more… more than you could give last time…"

Smirking, he dropped from the tree and started to follow her from a distance.

"Raine!" Genis greeted her with a light smile on his face, and held out a plate. "It's breakfast," he told her. "We kept it warm for you… we… I wasn't sure if you wanted to eat or not…." Cocking his head to the side, he asked her silently if she was okay.

"Thank you, Genis," she answered, setting a hand on his head and ruffling his light hair. "I appreciate it."

"Well," Lloyd said, pumping a fist into the air, "Let's get started, before it starts to rain!"

And so, the group started off for the nearest town- Meltokio.

* * *

"What a downpour!" Sheena exclaimed, wringing out her tunic as she walked into the spacious house that the Chosen of Tethe'alla owned. They had made it to the outskirts of the city before the rain had started, and, packing up the Rheiards as quickly as possible, they'd made a dash for Zelos' house. Of course, they'd been thoroughly soaked to the skin anyway. 

Raine held the door open for the others as they ran inside, one after the other. After the last one made their way into the foyer, the door shut behind them. But nothing could drown out the sound of the rain hitting the roof.

"It was fun!" Genis grinned, squeezing the water out of his shirt. "Wasn't it, Colette?"

Colette smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. "Yep!" she agreed. "But now we're all wet…"

"You should all change your clothes!" Zelos announced, waving a hand toward the stairs. "You can all take baths, and then dress in dry clothes. I don't want any of my hunnies to get sick, you know!"

Sheena rolled her eyes in her head and moved toward the stairs. "Wait a minute-! I don't have any other clothes…"

Zelos grinned. "How about your bathing suit!" he suggested, getting a whack in the head from girl standing closest to him.

She glared at him. "No…" she said defiantly.

"Well, there are robes up there…somewhere…" he replied, his head still spinning from the impact of Raine's staff to his skull.

"That's better," the black haired ninja huffed, climbing the stairs two at a time.

"Ahhh… the things I do for love!" the red-haired Chosen grinned, picturing Sheena in a silky red robe.

Raine followed Sheena, while the boys all split and took turns in another bathroom.

It didn't take the ninja girl long to shower, and, when she was done, she exited with a red terrycloth robe covering her form.

_'Well, there goes Zelos' dream…'_ Raine chuckled to herself.

"I hate to admit it," Sheena told Raine, "But that shower's really nice! It has all kinds of functions and things. I could have spent hours in there…"

Raine smiled at the dark-haired girl and picked up her own things. "Well, you can tell Zelos that, if you wish. He got out a few minutes ago. He's waiting for you to come out in something…silky…"

Sheena rolled her eyes as she made her way out the door and down the stairs, calling out behind her, "In his dreams!"

Raine found the warm water to be soothing after the icy drops of rain that they had run through to get to Zelos' house. She let herself relax in the luxurious bathtub, sighing contentedly to herself as the water rose up to her chest.

She felt safe here, surrounded by people she knew she could trust… Nobody was going to come through the door and watch her lying there…

When the water level in the tub rose to her neck, she sat up quickly and decided that it was time to get out. When she felt water around her neck like that, it reminded her of when she was younger… She didn't like the feeling of drowning…

Sheena yawned from her place on the large leather couch in the living room of Zelos' house. The ninja girl had to admit that she felt rather… out of place here, with all of the nice rugs, and beautiful furniture…

Glancing out the window at the darkened Meltokio streets being pelted with rain, she sighed.

"What's wrong?" Zelos asked, sitting beside her. "The Great Zelos can fix everything!"

Sheena let a stream of air out of her mouth and rolled her eyes at the Chosen of Tethe'alla. "The weather's just…so depressing… So dreary…" She folded her arms over her chest and looked at Zelos. "Can you fix the weather?"

Zelos looked at her, an eyebrow raised questioningly. "What's wrong with the weather? The sound of rain is…soothing, I think."

"I think it's depressing," Lloyd commented from across the room. "It always comes when you're trying to get something done.

"Aha!" Sheena smiled at Lloyd and pushed a finger into Zelos' chest. "See? Lloyd agrees with me!"

"What do you think about it, Genis?" Zelos asked the young mage.

Genis moved a piece on the game board that he, Lloyd, and Colette were currently playing. "It's a necessity," he said calmly, thinking of his next move. "If it weren't for rain, then we wouldn't be able to live.

"Colette?" Zelos asked hopefully.

"I think that sometimes it's kind of dull, but then, when it's sunny outside, and it rains…then it's pretty." She looked up from her game and smiled at the two on the couch.

"I agree with Colette," Presea commented, looking over Genis' shoulder at the game. "And Genis too. It is essential to our survival…"

"Rain is nice," Regal said shortly, pulling a book away from his face. "It can be calming…"

"If it only rained at night, when we're all asleep, then we wouldn't have to worry about anything!" Lloyd informed them all. "See, cause then we'd all be sleeping and we wouldn't have to hear it…"

"Hmmm…" Sheena thought on Lloyd's comment. It seemed to be true.

"No," Zelos said firmly, making everyone look up. "If it didn't rain during the day, we would never see a rainbow."

"I guess I didn't think of that," Sheena remarked, rubbing the back of her head in a gesture of embarrassment. "So… I guess you win…"

Zelos grinned in silent victory until he heard a light creak on the stairs.

Genis glanced up from the board game to see Raine coming down the stairs, a long-sleeved robe that trailed on the floor covering her body, her wet clothes draped over one arm. Her face was still red from her shower, and her feet were bare.

She set her clothes down in the basket on top of the other wet clothes that were to be washed early the next morning, and yawned widely, covering her mouth with her hand. "I think I'm going to go ahead and go to sleep," she told the others, yawning again.

"Goodnight," they all chorused at once, Genis jumping up to give her a hug. "Night' Sis," he muttered.

Raine smiled and hugged him back, noticing how tall he'd gotten. It wouldn't be too long before he was taller than her. Stifling a yawn, she reminded Genis to go to bed at a decent hour, and made her way up the steps, her hand on the railing.

* * *

It was warm…and dark… 

_She couldn't see, even when she opened her eyes. The warmth, the darkness… it was airless. She felt like she was suffocating._

_Someone was talking to her, but she couldn't understand. It was too mumbled, distorted… Everything sounded like it was going down a drain… Like they were talking in a wind tunnel…_

_She felt a hand on her arm, moving up to her shoulder in a gentle touch. But, she resisted. She didn't want touched! She didn't want it! She couldn't see who was touching her, but she wanted it to stop. _

_Squirming, she heard the voice again, only, it was even more distorted, and even less understandable. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and twisted her torso away from the voice._

_A tingling of pain coursed through the side of her face, and she put a hand up to the stinging skin. _

_'What's going on?'_

_The same hands ran up the sides of her legs to stop at her waist. They struggled with the material of her dress, pulling it up and over her head roughly. She could feel the hands trailing on her bare skin, leaving a path of burning heat in their wake._

_Their touch burned, it hurt; she didn't like it; she wanted it to stop! _

_She felt something wet slide across her jawbone, and cringed. She twisted around and tried to get away, but something heavy landed on her back, preventing her movement. One of the hands grabbed her small wrists and held them together, pinning them above her head, while the other hand explored, touching and grabbing, and pinching. _

_She felt sick to her stomach, and helpless… so helpless… _

_She thrashed her legs around, but to no avail. She wasn't strong enough, she couldn't do anything. She felt lips on her own and had to try so hard not to vomit. _

_It was all wrong! It wasn't right! What was happening? She felt like someone who was trapped in a burning house, unable to escape…_

_She felt a warm wetness at the corner of her eyes; closed them harshly when it started to slide down the side of her face, but she couldn't reach up to wipe the tear away. And he didn't seem to care that it was there. The hands kept moving, exploring on their own…_

_Finally finding her voice, she screamed._

* * *

"Stop it! Stop!" 

She awoke to the sounds of her own voice, screaming in terrified horror. She reached a shaking hand up to swipe away the tears on her cheeks, reminding herself of her dream.

It was hot… The room was suffocating…

She scrambled out from under the covers in a rush, hitting the floor with a light 'thud'. She made her way to the window and undid the chain, pulling the shutters wide open. Sticking her head out the window to feel the chilling drops of water, she faintly heard a couple of doors opening in the corridor.

Sighing, she laid her head down on the windowsill, breathing in the cool night air, smelling of fresh rain.

Her eyes closed slowly as the water dripped down her face, falling from her eyelashes onto her warm cheeks. She didn't even notice as the door to her sleeping quarters slowly creaked open.

* * *

A/N: As you can tell from the dream, that is basically the pg-13 foundation. This story has been rated R (or M) for a later scene. It's not super-descriptive, but most of the rest of this fic will continue to stay within a PG13 rating. 

Rape isn't funny. It never has been, and it never will be. People do NOT recover miraculously from such a horrible experience. It takes years, and, even then, they won't forget it. It will continue to haunt them for life. A lot of the times, the victim believes she (or, in some cases, he) deserved it. It was their fault, not the rapist's. It's traumatizing. Remember that please.

On another note! This was long! About 10 pages. I'm so proud of myself! I can't promise that the other chapters will be this long, but I'll certainly try! I have another fic that needs updated as well.

I would MORE than appreciate reviews! Good or bad, I don't care. ) It helps me to remember that people ARE reading this. And by reviewing, you give me your opinion. Which I need. Doesn't matter if it's good OR bad.

Thank you!

Pawprints

-Kitten Kisses


	4. Trust Me, Trust Me Not

I hope that the theme of the story hasn't scared anybody off. I, myself, am not able to explain why I'm writing this, really. I have been interested in angsty subjects as far back as I remember. The holocaust, rape, and tragedy are things that I like to learn about, most of all- the reasons behind their occurrences. A man in Ohio was apprehended for 47 counts of rape. **47…** 47 women were forced to have sex with this man. Terrible…

But sadly, we must all remember that, even though this story is false, as it didn't happen in the game, it does happen in the real world. All the time. Most of Raine's thoughts and feelings are my own original pieces, but were based off of what I've read in auto-biographies and other pieces of writing.

Thank you for reading thus far. I'm curious to know if this theme is bothering anybody/making anyone uncomfortable? Please let me know if it is.

DEDICATION: Lil'Samuu. I tried to put a little Lloyd/Colette in this for you. :)

* * *

**"I was smiling in the rain, but… in reality… I was crying…"  
--(Soujirou; Rurouni Kenshin)**

Take Me Away**  
-Chapter 4 : "Trust Me, Trust Me Not"**

* * *

The city lights were burning dimly in the dark of the dreary night. The atmosphere seemed almost…heavy, in a strange sort of way. Lloyd Irving was in his sleeping quarters, waiting for Genis to return from raiding Zelos' kitchen. Their board game had gone well, though Genis had managed to win every time. 

Finally getting impatient with the young half-elf, he slowly opened the door and stepped out into the silent corridor. His bare feet barely making a sound on the carpet, he made his way down the hall leading to the staircase. Peering down the flight of stairs, he saw Genis eating at the low table.

Sighing, Lloyd decided to simply go to sleep. Genis would be fine by himself.

Crawling into his bed, the brown-haired youth pulled the covers up to his chin and sighed contentedly. It might be dreary outside, but inside, it was cozy and warm… Soon, he felt his eyes droop, and within minutes, his breathing slowed to a steady rhythm.

But, it didn't last for long. All too soon, something disturbed his rest. And, Lloyd bolted out of bed, eyes wide open, his heart beating wildly.

"Stop it! Stop!"

The scream still ringing in his ear, the teenager clumsily pulled open his door, allowing it to thud closed behind him. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he dashed down the hall and came to a stop in front a door, quite similar to his own.

Wrapping his hand around the doorknob, he pulled slowly, noticing a light creak as the door swung open. He half-expected to find someone else in the room, but, when he looked inside, he only saw Raine.

"Professor Sage?" he asked softly, stepping into the room. The blue tinted light from the moon washed over the form of the young woman lying haphazardly by the window. She stared vacantly out at the stars, one hand clutching the windowsill, the other lying fisted in her lap, trembling lightly.

She was still wearing the robe from earlier, though the light blue material was wrinkled, like she had been tossing and turning. It gaped open slightly in the front, though not ridiculously so. Her bare legs were tucked underneath her, though, they too seemed to be trembling.

The moon shining through the open window illuminated her skin, making her appear almost ghost-like.

When he didn't get a response, he tried again, stepping closer. "Professor?"

She merely blinked out at the stars. Kneeling beside her, he cocked his head to the side to try and get a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were a dull slate blue, and.. Lloyd noticed that she seemed to be off in her own world. She hadn't noticed him walk into the room, nor had she perceived his presence, even though he wasn't more than foot away form her.

She seemed…sad though. Her eyes, despite being so dull, were slightly red-rimmed, almost as if she'd been crying. His brown eyes softened considerably as he knelt down on one knee beside her, so that he could look her in the eye.

"Professor, are you..?" he started to ask gently, his voice low in the silence of the night.

"No…" she whispered in a slightly high whisper, her voice quivering. "N….not again…" Her eyes closed slowly, the hand fisted in her lap fisted tightly, despite how it shook. She took a shuddering breath as a single tear found its way down the side of her face.

Lloyd tentatively reached out a hand to his teacher in concern. She was acting the opposite of her usual self. She was always so quick to help the others'…and here she was, needing some comfort herself… He knew that she was just too stubborn to ask for help from anyone- no matter the reason.

He set his hand on her thin shoulder, but the silver-haired young woman immediately jerked away, her hands immediately going to the gaping neckline of her robe, pulling the fabric close to her. "D-don't!" she exclaimed in a whisper, her voice shaking. "P…Please don't…" Her body posture was defensive, screaming a warning to Lloyd.

_'She's really out of it…'_ he thought, his head cocked to the side. _'Maybe I should…'_

The brown-haired youth's train of thought was cut off abruptly when he heard the door hinges squealing loudly in the night behind him. Turning around, he saw Genis standing there, eyes downcast.

"L…Lloyd," the half-elf boy started, moving toward his sister. "What're you doing here?" Genis knew it was a stupid question…_'How could Lloyd __not__ have heard that scream? I wish I'd gotten here first though… How am I gonna explain this?'_

"Something's wrong with the Professor!" the teenager exclaimed, his voice slightly louder than necessary. "Do you think I should go get the doctor?"

"N…no," Genis said swiftly, standing beside Lloyd now. "It's… just a dream, Lloyd." He shuffled his feet nervously, half-wishing the other boy would go back to his room. The other half of him longed to tell his friend what was wrong… but knew that it wouldn't do any good…

"You mean… she's been like this before?" Lloyd asked concernedly. His gaze drifted back to his school-teacher, who was still clutching her robe to her chest. "She always acts so tough all the time…" he said slowly, sighing heavily.

"She is tough, Lloyd!" Genis jumped to his sister's defense. "She just…has bad dreams sometimes… But, don't we all?"

"Well… I suppose…" the brown-haired teenager answered. "But…" he gestured with his hand, "Not like this…"

"Raine's different…" Genis said softly, reaching out a small hand to his sister. With his other hand, he shooed Lloyd toward the door. "I'll take care of it," he said assuredly. "She'll be okay…"

Lloyd nodded and headed to the door, watching the siblings over his shoulder as he walked.

"Just…" Genis' voice was so soft, Lloyd almost didn't catch his words. "Please don't tell the others'…okay?"

Lloyd paused shortly, running a hand through his brown hair before answering his younger friend. "Are you sure?" he asked, shifting his position. At a nod from the silver-haired boy, he sighed. "Okay…" he whispered. "I won't tell the others…"

"Thank you, Lloyd…" Genis smiled distantly at the boy standing at the door before turning his gaze back to his sister. The young half-elf ran his hands through his sister's silver locks soothingly, pausing to brush her damp bangs from her forehead. "C'mon Raine," he started, straightening her robe. "You're a mess! Your robe isn't even tied tight enough," he fussed, tying the sash around her waist again so that the robe wasn't slipping off of her shoulders.

"Genis…?" she asked, her voice small, though not as wobbly as before.

"Yeah, it's me," he said casually, wrapping his arms around her small waist in a hug. Pretty soon, Genis knew that he would be taller than his sister. She was already smaller than most of the other people in the group. She seemed so…fragile to him…

Raine needed him… Almost as much as he needed her.

Lloyd watched their interaction from the doorway. Genis knew exactly what to do and say to his sister to bring her out of her nightmare. Lloyd felt a twinge of jealousy at this. He had wanted to help too… Raine had done so much for him, and yet… he couldn't do anything for her.

He knew Genis and Raine were close- not only had they grown up together, Raine had raised Genis from infancy. Of course Raine would trust Genis enough…

He sighed heavily as he shut the door behind him. Maybe the Professor didn't trust him like she trusted her brother… But Raine didn't have a reason _not_ to trust Lloyd. He had never done anything to her to make her distrust him… All he ever wanted to do was help… But how could he, when the person he was trying to help wouldn't allow him to?

Feeling rather confused, he decided to go to the kitchen to think. Barely making a sound as he moved down the hall, he gently pulled the heavy kitchen door open, only to see someone already sitting at the long table.

"Oh, Lloyd!" The blond girl blushed, embarrassed at having been caught eating a late-night snack. "What are you doing up?"

"Well…uhmmm…I…" he fumbled around for an excuse to give Colette, who bit into a large chocolate-chip cookie as she waited for him to answer her. "I couldn't sleep!" he finally burst out, striding over to the cooler to look around. "And… I decided to see if there was anything good to eat."

"Oh, okay…" she nodded, seeming to accept his excuse. "I had a dream that somebody was screaming," she told him, cocking her head to the side. "It was really weird…" she continued, not noticing how Lloyd tensed up at her words. "I couldn't see anything in the dream, but it was dark… And there were a lot of emotions too… Then someone screamed, and I woke up." She smiled up at her brown-haired friend, taking a sip from the glass of milk beside her. "Strange, huh?"

"Uhmm…yeah!" Lloyd shook his head, trying to clear the confusion he still felt, but to no avail. Opening the cooler door, he found a half-empty container of milk. Grabbing a glass from a nearby cupboard, he poured himself a glass and took a seat beside the blond girl.

Colette carefully picked up one of the chocolate-chip cookies and set it down beside Lloyd's glass, smiling gently at her friend. He really didn't seem to be himself… Off in his own mind, thinking about something…

_'Probably saving the world…'_ she smiled to herself. He was always so excited about helping to save both worlds, as well as the people caught in between… He had such a kind heart. But it was part of what made him the guy that she was falling in love with. She didn't know what she would ever do without him…

"Lloyd…?" she started to ask, her blue eyes shining softly in the moonlight. "Is something the matter?"

Lloyd's gaze snapped back to reality at his friend's words. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he shook his head. "It's… No… I mean…"

"You'd rather not talk about it?" the blond said softly, her voice betraying that she felt a little disappointed that he didn't want to talk with her about it. "It's okay, Lloyd… I understand." She smiled back at him, her eyes holding a slight twinkle in them.

"It's… not quite that," he assured her, picking up the cookie and taking a bite. "I just _can't_ talk about it. It's confusing, and I don't understand it, but I promised not to tell anyone."

Colette felt her heart softening at his words. He sounded so confused, reminding her briefly of herself at the beginning of the World Regeneration, when she started loosing her senses. But Lloyd had been there for her when she needed him. Now… now maybe she would be able to help him, if just a little.

"That's okay," she said seriously, eyes downcast. "I can kind of understand how you're feeling…" Gently, she set her small hand on his larger, calloused one, clasping it lightly. "Whatever it is you're trying to figure out, I know you can do it."

"Thanks Colette," he smiled, his brown eyes softening in the dimly lit room. "It means a lot to me…" _'So much more than you know…'_

"Hug?" she asked brightly, sitting halfway out of her chair, arms outstretched.

Lloyd nodded, his cheeks tinted pink. Wrapping his arms around her back, he buried his face in her hair, the soft strands tickling his nose. The scent of fresh strawberries hung in the air around the blond girl, making him smile to himself.

'My sweet little angel…' 

"Genis, they're going to find out… I know they are… I just know it…"

"Find out what, sis?" the young mage asked his sister, cocking his head to one side. "About your nightmares?"

"N…no, well… That's not all of it…" she looked down at her brother from where she stood at the window. "About me…"

"About… " Genis paused in thought. "I remember, before we came to Iselia, you were a different person, Raine. And even then you would act…strange. But I can't remember why…" Looking up at the healer, his gaze softened. "Is that it?" he asked gently, moving his hand in a circular motion as he spoke.

"It…has something to do with it, Genis," she answered slowly, pronouncing each syllable accurately. _'I knew that it wasn't something so easily forgotten… It covered so much of a short life… A small span of time that I can't forget… But I pray that he can… As he can only find a few small pieces of a large puzzle…'_

Continuing, she broke the short silence, "It's bad enough that we are shunned for how we were born…even though we couldn't help it… But to be shunned for something we could have prevented, if only we had been strong enough…" Her voice trailed off slowly, finishing her sentence in a mere whisper of barely-spoken thoughts.

_'All my fault….my fault… I deserve it…I deserve it all… I should have known better, I should have been smart enough… But… I wasn't…'_

Genis stared at the young woman before him as she gazed down at the floor with distant eyes. He let his mind wander, tried to remember, to put the few pieces of the puzzle he had into place. But there were gaps that needed to be filled in order to even get a glimpse of what the whole picture might be. "What do you mean?" he finally asked, the confusion evident in his voice. "I don't understand…"

"I'd rather you never understand, Genis…" she said slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder. _'I'll do all I can, though it is not much, to protect you… In every way, big or small… Simple or not… To protect your spirit, your mind… Everything… Nobody will know about any of what has happened before… And I refuse to allow you to be tainted with the knowledge of what I have done in the past… I don't want your life to be consumed by it too…'_

"Anyway," she said suddenly, changing the subject. "You should get to sleep now. It's late." Giving him a quick hug, she sent him on his way, despite her younger brother's protests.

_'It's better that you don't understand, Genis… It's good that you don't remember… Every day that you come back to me unharmed is a miracle…_

* * *

As the sun pulled itself over the mountains in the east, Raine stirred from her seat by the window. She hadn't been able to fall to sleep again that night, the memories too fresh in her mind to allow her any rest. She'd simply grabbed a blanket from the bed, afraid…at the thought of climbing back under the covers. 

Most people would have told her that her dream was…just a dream… it wasn't real, and that she could go back to sleep knowing that it would never be true.

But Raine had never had that satisfaction. It wasn't _just_ a dream. It _was_ reality. It was her life. And though they were nothing but memories now, she couldn't help but reflect on the past, knowing that somehow everything had been her fault. Her dreams were always a reality she couldn't escape from.

She had had much time to think over the hours of the new day, with a light pink crocheted blanket draped over her shoulders, gazing out the window to the sky. She felt uneasy… Almost as if she knew something was going to happen, but she wasn't certain what. And she realized that… the feelings first started after freely being able to transfer between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant.

At first, ending up in Tethe'alla had been a blessing. She slept better in one night in this strange, foreign world that she had in a year in Sylvarant. The new-ness, the feeling of security… It overwhelmed her and allowed her freedom that she had never known existed.

For once, she wasn't afraid.

She was sure that she was safe. Tethe'alla was but a distant memory, still foreign to her in body, but present in the back of her mind. She had come from Tethe'alla, but he didn't know that. And he didn't know Tethe'alla really existed. It was nothing but a small rumor, knocked dead by scientists all over Sylvarant.

He couldn't find her, he wouldn't be able to. How would he ever know of Tethe'alla?

After falling through the Otherworldly Gate, she returned to her restless self. Always alert, stern… The teacher that Lloyd and Colette knew from their years of school. The further they went in their travels, the more alert she became. She felt paranoid, and stupid.

'If we can travel between both worlds…than he can too…easily…' 

She knew he was still out there… Maybe even still looking for her.

And she couldn't help the way she felt. So uneasy about everything, about everyone. She felt that she constantly had to watch over Genis, over Lloyd, Colette… over them all.

Because she knew that he would use them to get to her. To get her back for what she did…

'If anything happens to them… It will be all my fault'

* * *

**A/N**: Alright, I know it was shorter than the last chapter… (only by a little!) I wrote myself into a corner and had to erase some stuff to write my way out of it again. 

I'd like for those of you who wouldn't mind to please tell me one thing (or more) that you would like to see in this story.

Recommendation for Today!

"Conflictions of the Mind" By: Angel White – Very captivating! It had me on the edge of the seat for Chapter Four. No pairing is indicated …yet. The fic is centering on Raine, Mithos, and the others'. (Though there is more of Raine and Mithos is it). Mithos' thoughts are done so well. I just love this piece of writing, it's so well-done!

"Keep Me Warm" By: Lil' Samuu – Very cute Raine/Kratos fluff! Awesome grammar and spelling (all her fics are great!) I really enjoyed reading this.

I'd like to thank **All of You** who have read this far. And especially those who have liked this enough to put this on their Favorite's. I never expected anyone to do that for this fic. I hope I don't let any of you down with this.


	5. Putting on a Brave Face

**"You think the only people who are people,  
Are the people who look and think like you…  
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,  
You learn things you never knew,  
You never knew…"**  
"Colors of the Wind"  
--**Vanessa Williams**

* * *

Take Me Away Chapter 5 -"**Putting on a Brave Face**"

* * *

Sheena awoke to the sounds of a normal morning among the group. Loud talking, giggling, and laughing. And, of course, the occasional "hunny" crammed into various sentences. 

Sighing, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and twisted her body back and forth to crack her back. This had been the first time in a long time that the group had each been able to sleep in a different bed. Not that it was a bad thing that they had to share a lot of the time, but privacy was hard to come by that way.

She threw on her clothes, tying the pink sash to her top as she studied herself in the full mirror on the far wall. Turning her head, she studied her reflection, pulling her hair back, then letting it fall free around her shoulders. Finally deciding that she would put her hair up later, she smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes and opened her door, shutting it lightly behind her.

Smiling, she bounded down the stairs two at a time, holding onto the handrail and resisting the urge to slide down the banister. No matter how tempting it was, she wouldn't give Zelos the satisfaction on knowing that she would rather slide down the banister than walk down the stairway.

But she was all alone…

Stopping on the stairs, she heard the others' talking in the kitchen, and a grin spread across her features.

Ahhh, what would it hurt? Nobody would know if she slid down now…

Looking back and forth to make sure nobody was watching her, she dashed back to the top of the stairs and sat on the wide polished oak banister. Letting her legs grip the banister, she settled herself into place and started her slide to the bottom.

The wind rushed through her hair as she slid down the two flights of stairs, grinning all the way. When she reached the end of the railing, she jumped gracefully and landed on her feet. Bowing at the stairway in good humor, she reached for the kitchen door, pulling it open.

Her face flushed from her ride, and her hair hanging around her shoulders, she smiled widely at the group sitting around the large table. "Good morning guys!" she exclaimed happily, taking the only open seat; between Zelos and Raine. She started to heap pancakes on her empty plate before she noticed that the others' were staring at her.

"What?" she asked defensively, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ears.

"Wow Sheena!" Colette said, bringing her hands together in a light clap. "Your hair is so pretty like that!"

"It does look nice that way," Genis commented half-heartedly, going back to looking at the pink-haired axe-wielder beside him.

Regal nodded in agreement, as Lloyd interjected his own comment. "It's a lot longer than I thought it was!"

"S-stop it guys!" she said, her face flushed crimson. "It doesn't look all that great. Besides, it gets in the way like this…"

"It becomes you," Raine smiled, reaching a hand up to her own hair unconsciously.

But her thoughts were definitely thinking different than she was saying aloud. _'Everyone thinks it looks nice… Even Raine! I wonder what Zelos thinks… Wait! What am I thinking? I don't even wanna know…'_

"It makes you look even more scrumptious than usual, my sweet voluptuous hunny…" he winked, reaching out a hand to tug on a lock of her hair.

"What am I, food?" she asked aloud, rolling her eyes at Zelos' strange comment. She slapped his hand lightly and stared at him. "And don't touch my hair," she added, shaking her head.

The group ate in silence for a few minutes, hearing only the occasional, "Please pass the butter" or "Can I have a napkin?"."

Sheena noticed Lloyd throwing glances at the Professor, who was picking lightly at the pancake on her plate. She watched the Professor's actions with an eyebrow quirked. First, she would cut a little square of the pancake out, then she would spear it with her fork, and then she would twirl her fork around for awhile before setting the square of pancake to the side; only to cut another square and start all over.

"Uhmm… Professor? Aren't you hungry?" Colette asked, her blue eyes looking at the other woman curiously.

"Huh?" she asked, her head snapping up, now aware that everyone was staring. "Uhmmm… yes…I mean, no… No I'm not."

"But Raine!" Genis complained, waving his fork in the air. "You didn't even eat dinner last night! It's not healthy!"

Presea nodded in agreement, finally speaking. "Eating regularly is important to maintain stamina and a healthy weight."

Her face flushing red with embarrassment at being analyzed by the others', she looked down at her plate and stabbed a piece of her breakfast, shoving it in her mouth and promptly swallowing it. "There, I ate," she stated firmly, setting her eating utensils down on her plate and pushing the object forward.

"Are you okay, Professor Sage?" Lloyd asked as his teacher pushed back her chair and stood. "It's nothing really… just a headache." She faked a slight smile at her companions and pushed her chair back under the table.

'It's so easy to lie, now isn't it? You've done it so many damn times, you can't help it anymore. Could you stop, even if you wanted to? I doubt it… You're nothing but a lie. Your life, your mind… even your soul… You're living a lie. How much of your life is truth?'

"Maybe you should lie down then," Sheena suggested, doubt playing on her features. The Professor had never admitted she was sick at all. Even when she'd come down with a fever, she had insisted it was nothing.

Sheena didn't really believe that someone who acted so tough would complain about something as small as a headache.

"A massage too!" Zelos interjected, a grin on his face. "We can't let our Ultra Super Cool Beauty get sick! I'll make sure you're 'comfortable'."

Sheena glowered at Zelos and hit his arm with a loud smack. "Stop acting so-!"

"So sexy?" he grinned, turning to look at her.

"No," she said flatly. "Now shut your mouth and stop hitting on everyone in sight. It's pathetic."

"Yes of course, my Violent Demonic Banshee whose hair looks cuter today than usual." He bowed from where he sat, still grinning that annoying grin that said he knew something.

"I'll be fine," the silver-haired healer assured the people sitting around the table. "I think I'll just go for a quick walk, to think…" Picking up her orange and black coat from the back of her chair, she shrugged it on and smiled at them again. "I won't be long, I promise. I know we should get moving…"

"Take all the time you want, Professor," Lloyd told her, smiling at Colette as the blonde girl nodded in agreement. "We'll try to have everything ready to go by the time you come back."

"Enjoy your walk," Presea nodded, standing up to gather the dishes that were to be washed.

"Thank you, Presea, I'll try." She smiled lightly at the girl before exiting the house through the front door.

* * *

Looking to the sky, the silver-haired healer felt the warm rays of the sun on her face. She allowed the corners of her mouth to curve up in a small smile. The horizon showed no indication of a change in the weather, which, most certainly, was a good thing. 

Walking at a fast pace, she quickly made her way out of the ritzy section of Meltokio. She had never cared for such places, as they reminded her of wealth and power- two things that she liked to refrain from thinking about. The rich always had power… And, money could buy you most anything.

Not love, never love… But everything else? Yes; yes it could.

The town square was nearly empty of people, most of the population still in bed, fast asleep. Noticing a bench that appeared to be unoccupied, she started toward it, intending to sit down for awhile to listen to the soft silence of the morning.

But, as she came closer, she saw that a little boy was sitting on one end, looking around the square with curiosity splashed all over his features. Raine slowed her pace and came to a stop in front of the oak bench.

"It's a nice morning ain't it?" the little boy asked her shyly, rubbing his hands together. His light-brown hair shone red in the morning light, bouncing off of his soulful brown eyes.

"Yes, it is," she spoke softly, taking a seat on the other end of the bench. She crossed her legs and shoved her hands deep inside her pockets. "The weather is getting cooler," she added as an afterthought, throwing a glance at the boy.

"Yeah…" he agreed, tilting his head to the side. "But it was colder last night."

It was then that Raine noticed his damp clothing. "You're wet," she said bluntly, her feminine instincts kicking in. "You should go home and get changed into something dry…"

"No!" the boy almost shouted, his hand going up to his mouth almost immediately afterward. "I mean… I ain't goin' back there…"

"You ran away?" the healer asked, an eyebrow raised. At a nod from her newfound companion, she continued. "Why?"

"My mama don't have much money and the other kids say it's cause we're poor. Nobody likes me," he answered, looking sad. "An' I hate school," he added. "I never get picked to play on anybody's team…"

The teacher opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again, throwing a quick glance around the square. Something wasn't right… She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, along with the feeling of being watched.

Grinning widely, he shoved his hands into his pockets and watched the conversation between Raine and the young runaway. He knew that she didn't know he was there, but that she felt like she was being watched. He could tell by the way she threw quick, discreet glances around the area.

She wouldn't spot him unless he made himself visible to her!

"You shouldn't run away," he heard her say rather loudly. "It's wrong. Your mother is probably worried sick about you… Running away from your problems will never solve anything…"

She was such a contradictory girl…

Smirking, he moved a stray lock of hair behind his ear. No matter. Nothing mattered. Except, of course, sweet, sweet revenge… She owed him her life. As long as she continued to live, she would be tied to him. He would make her keep her end of the deal.

He watched the young boy walk away, a smile on his face. A few extra gald jingling in his pockets.

'Now…' 

Without making a sound, he stepped from his hiding place and made his way over to the woman sitting on the bench.

"Still as stupid as always, I see…" he said sharply, smirking inwardly as he saw her body jerk in surprise.

"It's been a long time, _Raine_…"

'I'll make you pay for what you did to me… And nothing you can give will atone for your wrong-doings… Because you have nothing… I own you, Raine… And everything you have…'

Raine felt her heart thudding in her chest.

Bu-dump, Bu-dump… 

It pounded against her rib cage, creating a heavy pressure that made her want to faint. It was almost like a bad dream… the bright sunny day suddenly turning into a dreary nightmare…

"G- go away!" she found herself yelling, panic rising in her throat. "I don't want you here! I don't need you ruining my life!"

"I can use my…_property_ as I wish," he said hotly, grey eyes flashing. "You belong to me, Raine. You're mine to do with as I please."

"You can not!" she shouted defiantly, standing up abruptly and crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't make me do anything anymore!"

"Oh?" he asked, an eyebrow raised in mockery. "Would you like to test out that theory?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it just as quickly. Taking a hesitant step backward, she increased the distance between them. "N-no, I don't," she answered, a quiver slightly evident in her tone. "But you can't control me anymore. I'm not a child who can be pushed around."

"Well, well," he said darkly, taking a step closer to her. "It looks like the naïve child has grown a little _attitude problem_…"

The healer felt a shiver travel down her spine at his words. Taking another step backward, she found her back against the stone fountain in the center of the square. She hoped that he couldn't tell how nervous she was…

Or how much she wanted to run.

'I can do this… I can be strong… Remember what you said to the child, Raine… Running away from your problems never solves anything…' 

Straightening her shoulders, she stood up to her full height and looked him in the eye. "I'll do what I want, Shobu, and there isn't a single thing you can do about it." Her eyes flashed as she spoke, showing bravery; though, she felt anything but brave.

He stopped in front of her, his face turning slightly red as she spoke. "Raine…" he said slowly, his voice the epitome of calm superiority, even as he spoke her name in a disrespectful manner, "You signed your life over to me… You, my dear, are mine…" He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to emphasize his words. "And don't you ever…_**ever**_ talk to so disrespectfully. The insects beneath my feet do not call me by my given name, and neither do you. Do you understand?"

Flinching noticeably at his touch, she closed her eyes for a moment to think; to keep her cool. Getting him angry would only make the situation worse. "I never belonged to you…" she said slowly, her right hand fisting in the pocket of her orange coat.

"Liar!" he shouted, squeezing her shoulder harder, his fingers pressing through the light fabric of her coat. Pushing his face just inches from hers, he set his other hand on her right shoulder, and continued. "You damn halfling. After I took you into my home, and fed you… After I did so much _for_ you…"

"You didn't do anything right!" she spat, her eyes dark. "You never cared _about_ me! You _used_ me!"

"Rainey…" he said, his voice softening. "How could you think I didn't care about you?" His grip on her shoulders eased slightly as he continued. "After all those nights…"

"I was a child!" she shouted, her voice rising in a mix of panic and uncertainty. "I was scared, and alone, and I didn't know what was going on!" Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, though her voice remained steady. "You ruined me, Shobu, you ruined me!"

She felt his grip on her shoulders strengthen as his face reddened in anger. "You ungrateful wench!" he seethed, shoving her back into the wall of the stone fountain. "I did it for _you_ Raine!"

Her shoulder blades ached, though she would never give him the satisfaction of knowing it. "You never did anything for me; everything was always for you."

"Shut up!" he told her, keeping his left hand against her shoulder as he grabbed her chin in his right.

She shut up immediately, the pressure on her jaw unrelenting.

"You're lucky that I was your first," he said arrogantly. "An ugly ass half-elf like you would be lucky to sleep with anyone, let alone a human. Besides," he pulled none-too-gently at her silver hair, "Nobody will ever want to sleep with you now… You look like a damn tramp."

"I'm not!" she declared heatedly. "I'm a respectable teacher! I'm a—"

"A whore?" he asked haughtily. "And you're not a teacher anymore… You gave all that up when you left Iselia. Do you really think that they'll let a lying half-elf like you back in their village?"

"I'm not a whore," she said softly, eyes downcast.

He smirked. "That's because you couldn't get anybody but me. Nobody wants you, Raine. And do you know why?" When he didn't get an answer from the silver haired woman, his grip on her chin tightened. "You're a half-elf. Only half a human. You should be grateful to me for giving you such an experience!" Stroking his thumb down her jawbone, he smirked. "You're mine; inside and out."

"No," she said firmly. "You cannot have me. You can never have me!"

"Come now, you know better than that…"

"Shut up!" she shouted, regretting it a moment later when his hand made contact with the side of her face.

"No back-talking," he told her, his hand going back to her shoulder. "And don't you _**ever **_tell me to shut up again, or you _**will**_ regret it."

She felt her body tremble lightly after the slap, but kept a brave face. "I'll say whatever I like," she stated simply, looking him in the eye.

"You're lucky that this is a public place, or you would be eating dirt," he said, his voice low as he firmly pushed his body against her, forcing her back into the concrete wall behind her.

Raine noticed a couple enter the square, talking animatedly about something. _'Saved by someone, again…' _she thought.

"But you'll burn in hell for what you've done. I'll make sure of it." He let go of her suddenly and turned on his heel, walking quickly away.

The healer felt her knees give way, and she sunk slowly to the cobblestone street, her small frame trembling. He'd found her….

'But how…? How did he know so much about me…' 

Her thoughts were jumbled at this new turn of events.

'I don't understand…but… at least he didn't do anything…..'

She hated herself for being so weak, for being so naïve. Even if he had tried something, she knew that she wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

_'I'm so pathetic….'_ She thought, a single tear gliding down her face.

* * *

**Author Notes:** The story was changed to R a few chapters after this one (well, it's M now) / Rape _is_ a delicate subject to write about. And, in the real world, I would say that it would be rated NC-17, rather than R. It's a lot more graphically horrendous for the victim than I could ever write. 

If Raine seems OOC at all, feel free to let me know. Having something like that in your past coming back at you randomly would upset me too, I think.

::Pawprints::

-Kitten Kisses


	6. Burn In Hell

I like the Carpenters. A lot. All the depressive lyrics. Woo. Does anyone even read the lyrics I put up? Hmmm….

_And Solitaire's the only game in town  
And every road that takes him, takes him down  
And by himself, it's easy to pretend  
He'll never love again…  
And keeping to himself, he plays the game  
Without her love, it always ends the same  
While life goes on around him everywhere  
He's playing  
Solitaire…_

"_Solitaire_"  
**-The Carpenters**

* * *

**Take Me Away****-- Chapter 6**  
-"Burn in Hell"

* * *

The cold concrete of the fountain behind her seemed to soak into her skin; even through the fabric of her coat. 

Then again, it might not have been the concrete.

Maybe… Maybe the concrete wasn't cold, and instead, she was. Was she doing the right thing by standing up for what _she_ believed to be right?

'Am I right? Is what I'm doing the correct way to go?' 

And, of course, she couldn't stop the thoughts and feelings from spilling into her mind that perhaps she was doing the _wrong_ thing. What if Shobu was right? In a manner of speaking, she did…_belong_ to him. But at the time… she had only been a child! Though seeing as how a legal signing age did not exist in Sylvarant, she bet that any government would hand her right over- no questions asked.

'Running away from your problems won't solve anything…' 

She recognized her own voice resonating in the back of her head as she tried to think of a way out of a newly created situation. She remembered a lecture she had given her students about a year earlier… Everyone had been watching and listening diligently… Except Lloyd of course.

\:\

"Fight or Flight," she had said, one hand clutching a piece of chalk, the other pushing back a strand of hair. "The human body—"

_"But Miss Sage…" a young student had interrupted, their hand in the air. "You're not human…" A few children had chuckled quietly at this, not really understanding the real impact behind the young boy's words._

_"Kuro," their teacher had warned, shaking a finger back-and-forth in front of her. "No interruptions, please." Turning toward the board, she drew drawings that depicted a person running into a monster in the woods; little stick trees representing towering oaks. "When a person or persons finds themselves in a difficult situation- such as the one on the board- they are given two immediate options." Turning around to face the class, she called on Colette to answer the question she was about to ask. "Colette, can you answer for us what the two options are?"_

_"Yes ma'am," the blond girl had stood in front of the class, moving her hands exaggeratedly as she spoke. "Well, he can either stay and fight the monster, or he can try to run away…"_

"Thank you, Colette," she had smiled at her pupil and continued. "In other words, you can face your problem, or you can run away from it. Adrenaline acts immediately to enable you to perform either of these tasks. Speed and stamina if you wish to run, and strength and energy if you wish to fight. Whichever you choose would be up to you, of course. Though some people would run, while others' would fight. But who is to say what the outcome of your choice would be? If you run, you might trip and get caught, and if you fight, you could be killed…"

\:\

Fight or flight… it sounded so easy, with only two options to choose from. But, either choice would make a difference in her life; and that was too _important_ a decision for her to make hastily.

'It's almost as if I'm lost in the forest… the road forks into two- one path leading to town, the other to a pit of quicksand… How will I make the right choice?'

She tried to think about the pros and cons of things, sitting there by the fountain, her knees drawn up to her chest.

'If I stand against him, the others' will find out about all of it… He'll be sure to appear in the open eventually… Though I'm not even sure how bold he would get with seven other people around. He might hurt someone… But if I go with him, at least Genis will be safe… And Sheena, and Lloyd… and Presea…'

Shaking her head, she pulled lightly at her hair with her hands. There wasn't an easy answer for anything… And she still didn't know how he knew about her leaving Iselia…

She would decide later… But her appearance was something that needed fixed right away- before Lloyd, or, even worse, Sheena, came in search of her. Sheena wasn't stupid- she would be able to pick up any hints of bruising right away- and the other woman wouldn't take stupid excuses, either.

She got to her feet quickly, noticing an aching feeling in her back and shoulders. Wonderful, just peachy. 'That rat,' she thought, straightening her rumpled coat. 'Now I'm living an even bigger lie because of him…'

She took a step before she stopped, another thought coming into her mind. 'Or am I living a lie because of my own decisions?'

She knew the answer. She couldn't blame anything on anybody else again. It was her own fault that she had made stupid decisions, and the consequences of those choices were her problem, her fault. Not anyone else's.

She walked west across the town until she saw the weapons shop with an 'open' sign in the window. Sighing with relief, she stepped inside, hearing a small bell over the door jingle.

A young man looked up from the counter, his smile turning into a look of confusion and shock. "What happened?!" he nearly shouted, setting his book down on the counter's surface.

Raine blinked a few times before she realized that she probably had bruises on her face and jawbone. Not to mention her messy hair. She forced out a smile, wiping imaginary sweat from her face. "I just got into a little tussle outside the gates… Do you have a restroom I could use to… freshen up?"

"Oh certainly, certainly!" he said, nodding his head and pointing to a back room. "Take as long as you need, Miss.

'There's another lie to add to the list… Are you keeping track?' 

Shaking the thought out of her mind, she moved toward the small door, trying to ignore the feeling of dread overtaking her.

As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she shut the door behind her, locking it. A mirror sat on the wall opposite her; a little lopsided, but at least it was clean. Peering at her reflection in the glass, she cringed. Bruising that looked suspiciously like fingerprints ran across her jaw line.

She didn't think that he had been using so much…pressure. But it was her own fault. If she had stood up against him…maybe if she had fought back…

No use thinking about the 'what-ifs' anyhow… It didn't do anyone any good. She felt a small pain in her upper back, and decided that, before she went back to the group, it would be best to assess the damages done- without the other girls around. She pulled her jacket off and turned it over in her hands, noticing that the fabric on the back of the coat was worn through, a grey dust-like material stuck to the frayed edges of the hole.

She sighed and dropped it to the floor, pulling her shirt over her head afterwards. Immediately, she noticed two dark bruises forming where his thumbs had pushed into her skin, right beside her collarbone. Turning around, she was relieved to see that the bruises that were on her upper back were hardly showing at all. A little bit of skin on her shoulder blades and back had been rubbed raw- as if she had fallen onto gravel. But that could easily be explained away. She tripped, or something similar. She just hoped that it would be bought by her companions.

Though, her face would be nearly impossible to explain… Gels made the pain go away… but not the mark… That could take up to a week. She couldn't tell them the truth; Her problems were her fault, not the others'. She didn't want to unload all of her stupidity on them… They all had enough to handle the way it was…

Noticing a small knife sitting on the sink counter, she smiled. She picked it up, turning it over in her hand a few times. It was probably used for shaving- it was sharp.

'Good…Maybe I could use this?' she thought to herself, watching the light bounce off of the steel blade. 'All I have to do is disguise the bruise as something else… change the way the bruises look, so that nobody will know…' 

It was nearly like lying… And she wasn't sure who she was really trying to fool. She thought that it was her friends, but… something in the back of her mind tried to tell her that it was herself that she was trying to deceive. But that thought faded as she made her choice.

She almost felt as if she was doing something wrong when she pushed the blade against her skin a little too forcefully, cutting a line down the curve of her jaw through the bruises.

She had read about people cutting themselves, slashing their arms and wrists for no apparent reason… Nobody knew why they had done it, none of the scientists could figure out that mystery no matter how smart, or how important they were. She didn't understand it either. Her jaw throbbed now, from the addition of more 'wounds'. Cutting yourself- unless you were trying to commit suicide- didn't make sense. It hurt like hell, feeling the cold metal slice through soft flesh.

Shuddering at the feeling, she wiped the knife off quickly with a sheaf of paper, and set it down on the edge of the sink before staring confusedly as a few drops of blood hit the edge of the sink.

Glancing in the mirror, she saw a small stream of blood running down her jaw.

_'Did I cut too deep?' _she wondered anxiously, pushing a finger to the wound. It stung at her touch, and she quickly pulled her hand away, feeling her stomach lurch at the sight of the sticky red liquid clinging to her fingers.

She could feel the liquid trailing down and dripping off her chin… and she had to force herself not to gag at the feeling. Being a healer, she saw blood often… Though, usually it was not her own. Almost never her own… She realized that she didn't like the sight in front of her at all. Putting her sticky hand up to the wound again, she winced as blood dripped off of her fingers.

Gazing at the picture in the mirror, she couldn't force down the gagging feeling, and, finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rid her mind of the mental picture of the crimson liquid trailing down her jaw bone. But when she opened her eyes, it was all there in front of her.

Drip… Drip… Drip… 

It was almost as if she could hear the individual drops fall from her jaw to the sinks countertop.

She felt a wave of dizziness pass over her, but ignored it for the time being, as it was only momentary. She hadn't meant to do more than make a light slash mark across the bruises, to make it look like she had landed on her face- or some such nonsense- so that she could convince her friends that it had all happened by accident.

Gagging at the smell and feel of her own blood, she pressed a hand to her mouth, almost positive that she was going to throw up any minute. But the feeling of nausea passed over after a few uncertain seconds, and she pulled her hand away from her mouth, her mind numbingly registering the bloody handprint stretched across her lips and cheek in her quickly blurring reflection in the mirror.

And, expectantly, the wave of dizziness washed over her mind, the walls spinning uncontrollably, the reflection in the mirror becoming unfocused. And she didn't try to fight it- not this time. It was no use in fighting something that was inevitable…

She hardly noticed when she landed with a loud thump on the hardwood floor, one arm draped across her chest, the other lying at her side. The knife slipped from the edge of the sink and clattered to the floor beside her head, the metal shimmering in the dimly lit room. And when the darkness came, she gladly let it claim her.

* * *

It had been nearly two hours, and Genis was pacing the neatly tiled floor. Back and forth, and back and forth… It seemed like a never-ending cycle to Zelos, who was ready to stick a wooden plank in the middle of the floor to see if the young half-elf would trip or not. 

Everyone was standing around- though in different parts of the room. Zelos had already decided that the worst part about having to go somewhere was the waiting around beforehand. Everything was packed and ready to go…

Pulling a potato chip from the deep-dish bowl beside him, the red-haired Chosen popped the salty snack in his mouth, chewing slowly and purposely, just to see if he could get on Genis' nerves.

No reaction. The boy was still pacing the floor, looking to the clock occasionally- only to start his pattern of walking over again.

This time, the young man reached for another potato chip, twirling it around in his grasp for a few moments before letting it loose- strait at Genis' head.

"What'd ya do that for?!" the young mage shouted, whirling around to glare at the red-head.

"I'm bored," he shrugged, as if the answer were obvious from the start. "Where's your sister, anyway? We've been ready to go for over an hour…"

"Who cares if you're bored?" Genis snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "And if you want to know where Raine is; why aren't you out looking?"

"Well… uhm…" Colette appeared in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. "She did say a quick walk, right? I mean, how long can a quick walk take?"

"Obviously forever," Zelos sighed, dipping his hand in the bowl for another chip.

"Oh shut up." Sheena rolled her eyes at him from the sofa. "And stop chomping on those- I can't get that sound of my head. It grates on my nerves."

"But guys, she usually doesn't stay out so long…and Colette's right. She did say she wouldn't take long…" Genis chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. "But maybe Zelos is right… She might have found some old bones, for all we know…"

"Quick. Synonyms are: Swift, speedy, and fast." Blinking slowly as she thought, Presea continued. "At the most… half an hour should have been sufficient."

Genis' face flushed crimson. "Y-yeah… Presea's right."

"That was an awful quick change-of-sides there, brat," Zelos said slowly, nearly grinning when Genis' face turned redder. "But maybe you're both right. Somebody should go look for her…"

Motioning over his shoulder at the dark-haired summoner, he smirked. "Come along, my sweet voluptuous hunny, and let us find the Professor together. The rest of you just…make sure things are ready to go when we get back."

Sheena rolled her eyes and sighed.

'Yay! A field trip with the Chosen… what fun…'

* * *

Blank nothingness… 

Completely empty, and void of everything. All emotion, all feeling, everything… In a dreamless sleep, there is nothing to fear, nothing to expect, nothing to hope for… Nothing at all.

Bang… bang… bang… 

Groaning slightly at the sound, the figure on the floor slowly moved, her eyelashes fluttering as the sound intensified.

"Hey!" a voice shouted as the pounding continued. "Are you okay in there? Is everything alright?!"

Her fingers reflexively moving, twitching slowly, she tried to move… to do anything to stop the pounding on the door…

And the pounding in her head.

"Miss?" Three more knocks on the door, and then…silence.

The silence was almost unnerving. The sudden stillness… It reminded her of the calm before the storm… or sudden death… When a group of happy travelers are simply walking side-by-side when one is struck with an arrow- their chatter forever ceased.

She forced herself to sit up on the tiled floor, hoping that whoever had been pounding on the door had gone away, and wasn't planning on returning anytime soon. Though, that seemed rather far-fetched… considering that she hadn't answered them as to whether or not she was okay…

Shaking her head of the cobwebs still clouding up her mind, she grabbed onto the edge of the sink and hauled herself to her feet. Looking into the mirror, she noticed that the blood on her face hadn't completely dried, but had dried enough on the wound itself to keep the blood from flowing any more than it had already.

_'Good…' _she thought. _'Now I can clean and bandage it, and nobody will be the wiser…'_

She allowed a small smile to form on her lips. Now they wouldn't know. Now, she wouldn't have to worry about the others' finding out anything…

At least for the time being.

Mentally, though, she was still concerned about everything… Shobu hadn't really done much—at least, not compared to what he normally would do to get something he wanted. So… perhaps he didn't really _want_ her at all… Maybe she had proven her point, and he had gone away for good…

She prayed that she was right… that he was gone, and that she could get on with her life… even if a lot of it was false reality.

For a brief moment, she wondered why she hadn't thought to bandage up her face beforehand… but dismissed it fairly quickly. If another member of the group—especially one of the girls—happened to see her face on accident… The game would be up, and she would have already lost.

'At least this way, it's convincing enough to prove that something actually did happen… even if it was just an accident.'

She tried to tell herself that she was just attempting to remember that 'it was an accident', so that she could tell the others' when they asked… and that it wasn't really she herself to whom she was doing the convincing.

Of _course_ it was just her friends she was convincing. After all; she knew the truth… one of the two people who did know…

Sighing, she unlocked the bathroom door and poked her head out, immediately noticing the man from earlier. "Do you… have some bandages? I can pay for them, I just…"

"Oh!" he jumped in his seat. "I was afraid something awful had happened in there… With that thump and…" he scrunched his forehead up in thought as he looked at her. "How did that happen?" he questioned slowly, carefully.

Raine tried to attempt a smile, though it looked slightly more like a cross between a 'lost puppy', and an embarrassed frown. "It was simply an act of stupidity on my part, Sir," she answered, her voice firm. "But if I don't get this cleaned up, then it will dry, and getting that cleaned up… hurts quite a bit more."

"Oh… yes… Alright." He moved from his chair to the cupboard behind him, pulling out some bandages and disinfectant. "Here you go, Miss," he said, trying to smile reassuringly at the small-framed teacher. "Please, don't hesitate to ask for anything else, if you need it." He put the materials into her outstretched palm, and retreated back to his chair to finish his book.

"Thank you," the Professor said gratefully, poking her head and arm back into the door. It wouldn't do her any good to get dressed again until her face was clean. No use in getting blood on her clothes, after all.

* * *

Sheena rolled her eyes at the sky, and tried to pretend that she was walking through town by herself- and not with that Idiot of a Chosen. 

But Zelos was making her game awfully hard… especially since he was right beside her, proudly pointing out every landmark in sight. Meaning human landmarks, of course.

"Little Belinda always plays right there!" he said happily, pointing at the fountain. "And Timmy likes to sit over there and imagine himself as a knight!"

Sheena raised her eyebrows questioningly at the Chosen of Tethe'alla. "You mean… you associate with more than just women?"

Zelos smiled at her, almost glad that she had spoken up. "Of course, my dear Sheena. Children are a gift-"

"And we were but children, once," Sheena finished for him, a small smile forming on her lips. "But wouldn't that make us all 'gifts' then?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Since we were all a child at one point in time…"

Zelos looked serious for a moment, almost as if he were thinking about something very important—such as a diplomatic matter. "I think you're right, Sheena." He turned to look at her, noticing how her dark hair highlighted blue in the sunlight. "We're all gifts for somebody, somewhere… Like a gift exchange." He put his hand on her shoulder as they took a corner. "When you find your gift, so will the other person—or, significant other— find theirs." The Chosen shook his head, red hair cascading down his back. "Am I even making any sense?" he asked her laughingly.

"It makes perfect sense," she told him. "And you must have gotten kicked out of the gift exchange!" Grinning, she took off ahead of him before her words could sink in.

"Hey!" he shouted a moment too late. Rolling his eyes, he started after the assassin.

* * *

"Raine! Hey, Professor!" Sheena had spotted the teacher's orange coat a mile away, and had been trying to catch the healer's attention for quite some time, now. Of course, it would all be so much easier if the crowds on the streets would simply…disappear. 

When Sheena finally caught up to the other woman, she put a hand on her shoulder, to alert her to her presence.

The Professor jumped, nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, Raine," Sheena apologized. "We've been all over town looking for you…and-"

"Oh, I'm alright," the silver-haired woman said quickly. "I just got into a little trouble, that's all."

Turning her head to look at the other woman, Raine tried to force a smile. "It was really an act of carelessness on my part," she rushed to explain, before the assassin could jump to a conclusion.

Sheena's eyes widened at the sight of the bandages on the Healer's face. This would take some getting used to… Now that she thought about it, it was probably the first time that she had seen Raine physically injured… at least, it seemed that way.

"Oh…" she said, not sure of what she could say, or what should _be_ said. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Raine said swiftly. "I just got lackadaisical. I was careless, and I didn't have my guard up, like I should have had."

"Nobody's blaming you or anything," Sheena told the other woman, wondering why Raine was so quick to putting herself down. "Even the best scholars make mistakes."

"Thank you, Sheena."

"Not a problem…" Sheena shook her head mentally, already confused. First, Zelos had said something intelligent… and now the Professor—who always seemed sure of herself—was putting herself down. "Are you ready to go, now? Lloyd wants to get to Forest of Shadows as soon as possible… probably so we can just get it over with." She smiled at the woman beside her, as Zelos finally caught up to them.

* * *

The bright sunlight shimmered through the treetops, casting its light on the dense foliage covering the ground. It was strange, wasn't it; How a forest could be so beautiful and bright during the day… but at night, people were afraid to travel in the same place- only because everything was shrouded in darkness. 

Raine walked at the back of the group again, Colette skipping beside her. The younger blonde girl seemed so happy, so innocent… Raine just found it nearly impossible to believe that just a few months ago, they had all seemed so _willing_ to sacrifice her life for the 'common good'.

And it seemed that…no matter what she did, she could never make it up to her. Nothing…_nothing_ could erase the fact that Raine had willingly gone along with it all… even knowing what it would all mean for her student.

Guilt was a hard feeling to cope with…certainly.

"Oh, Professor!" Colette had stopped to scoop up a rather large, beautiful flower. "It's so pretty…" she breathed slowly, turning the blossom over in her hands. "What is it?"

Colette's trusting, blue eyes unnerved the Healer. How could this girl seem so trusting of everyone… even though she knew what they had all done to her? What they had all _tried_ to do?

"It's a lily," she explained softly, taking the blossom in her own hands. "You don't usually find them growing in this type of environment…" Taking the flower, she tucked it into Colette's blond tresses; the white flower contrasting beautifully with the blonde tones in the younger girls hair.

Colette smiled at the Professor. "Thank you," she said slowly, reaching up a hand to feel the soft, delicate petals surrounded by her golden waves.

Colette knew that the Professor had a caring side… And it had just been brought out, if only for a moment.

"How do I look?" the blonde girl asked curiously, her hands still stroking the soft petals.

"Like an angel," Raine smiled, patting the other girl on the head. "Why don't you show Lloyd? I'm sure he would love to see."

_'Oh, let her stay innocent…'_ Raine thought. _'Let her stay care-free forever… It's such a wonderful thing…'_

The group had heard reports of people who had gone missing, or who had been killed… right here in the Forest of Shadows. They were simply searching for the person…or thing… responsible for it.

But so far, they hadn't found anything.

Up ahead, Lloyd shouted enthusiastically about something he had found, and everyone gathered around him to see what he was so excited about.

"Look!" he said, sweeping his hands out in front of him. "What do you suppose it is?"

Dry grass and twigs were scattered throughout the rather large clearing, forming a round shaped mess. "It…" Raine started, putting a hand to her head to think. "It appears to be…"

"A nest," Regal stated firmly. "It's a nest."

"But to what?" Genis questioned first. "I mean, it can't be a …_bird_, can it?"

"There is a ten percent probability that this nest is a birds," Presea informed them softly. "And a 65 percent chance, that it belongs to a…"

The sound of beating wings and rushing air reached the group's ears fairly quickly, interrupting what Presea was about to say.

"A… a dragon?!" Sheena shouted nervously, hands already clutching her cards as the dragon descended.

"Golden Dragon…" Presea said monotonously, her grip firm on the handle of her axe. "No particular weakness… It has a strong tail, and powerful wings… Specializes in physically attacking its enemy."

"In other words," Zelos shouted, "We're gonna get our asses kicked!"

"Oh, c'mon guys!" Lloyd insisted, pulling his twin blades out. "It'll be a piece of cake!"

Raine had already started charging her first spell when Lloyd began his dance with the Dragon, who didn't seem too terribly fond of them standing in its nest. Genis had come to stand beside her, also charging a spell.

"Ray!" she shouted finally, after several minutes of concentration. Holding up her staff, she saw the beams of lethal light rain down on the dragon, temporarily distracting it so that Regal could get underneath its belly.

"Crescent Moon!" she heard him shout, followed quickly by the dull 'thud' of his greaves against the dragon's underside.

The best thrashed, beating its wings and its tail.

"Ow!" Sheena shouted, having been knocked down by the side of the animal's tail. Jumping back to her feet, she slapped the dragon's scaly extension and concentrated for only a moment, before she felt her mana being drained slightly. "Power Seal Pinion!"

The dragon lifted its tail and sent it crashing back to the ground with stunning force, the earth rippling with the force. "That's it!" the assassin shouted, moving out of the way to concentrate on summoning Undine.

"Watch out for his tail!" Raine shouted, hoping that Colette and Regal would hear her, and move out of the way. They did, thankfully, and she started to charge another spell, as Genis finished with his.

"Absolute!" he scowled, raising his kendama in front of him, aiming it at the Dragon's unprotected belly.

Slash, slash, slash, slash… "Rising Falcon!" 

Considering the situation, it might seem loud and noisy… but really, the only noise was the sound of the dragon's snorts, the sound of it beating it's tail against the ground, and the sound of the group's attacks.

Colette hovered slightly over the ground, her bright wings beating silently in the midst of the battle. Her hands clasped in front of her, she prayed slowly, but with all the energy she could muster.

"Judgment!"

Lloyd pulled his sword out from between the scales of the large beast when he heard Colette and Sheena both finish up with their spell-charging. Rising Falcon had done a pretty good job, and Lloyd knew that the Dragon was getting tired.

Hopefully, Colette and Sheena could finish it off.

Genis put down his kendama and rushed over to stand beside Lloyd and Regal as he heard Raine start to finish up her spell. "Healing Circle!"

"Super Lightning Blade!" the red-haired Chosen said smartly, thrusting his sword into the dragon's stomach, but pulling it out again almost as quickly as he heard Colette shout 'Judgment".

Noticing the others' standing fairly close together, he ran over to them, just in time to catch the end effects of Healing Circle.

"I summon thee… Come! Undine!" Sheena stepped back as the summon spirit of water called forth Spread.

The waves pushed against the dragon as the rays of wrath fell from the heaven's, strengthening the attack.

Genis rushed forward as the dragon started to fall. "Woo-hoo! You got 'em!" he screamed enthusiastically.

"Genis… I think…" Presea started to say.

"Ouch…" the young warlock mumbled, embarrassed. "I uhm… wasn't expecting that." The end of the dragon's tail had landed partially on the half-elf, knocking him to the ground.

Zelos snorted. "Oh c'mon, brat. Take it like a man!"

"Are you sure we should have… killed her?" Colette asked nervously, her wings disappearing as her feet hit the ground. "I mean…she didn't really do anything…"

"Not to us," Regal said slowly. "But she has killed many-a-traveler."

"And they were probably just trying to get home to their families, too." Sheena assured her. "So it was probably for the best."

"Oh… okay…" The blonde girl reached to her head to see if her flower was still there, but found it gone.

"What now?" Zelos asked, sheathing his sword. "All we really need to do is put Mithos six feet under…"

"We could go back to Heimdall to see how they are…doing with the reconstruction of their home…" Presea suggested, resting against her axe.

"I have a better idea," Lloyd said sarcastically. "Let's get out of here. I don't like it. It gets dark fast here…"

"Lloyd's right…" Genis reluctantly nodded. "It's only been about an hour and a half, but it's gotten so dark…"

"Well, they call it the Forest of Shadows for a reason," Zelos shrugged. "Let's go…this way." Pointing to the left, he started off, letting the others' trail slowly behind him.

Colette glanced over her shoulder at the dragon who was now sleeping forever. She still felt bad for killing the animal… She hadn't really done anything but protect her nest. Noticing a strange speck of white on the dragons nose, she scrunched up her eyes for a better look.

There sat the flower that had been in her hair; its soft petals lying against the golden-colored animal's face.

Colette smiled sadly and turned to catch up with the others', who were already a good fifty feet ahead of her.

* * *

"Thanks, Zelos…" Genis said, annoyed, noticing the ever-darkening sky. "Do you realize we've been wandering around for nearly two hours?" 

"I think he's lost," Sheena teased, rolling her eyes. "Here. I'll lead." Stepping to the front of the group, she picked a random direction and started off, almost immediately running into another clearing.

"There had _better_ not be a dragon here…" Lloyd sighed. "I want to sleep. And I'm hungry, too…"

A rather small cabin stood off to one side, its door ajar.

"Do you think that…?" Lloyd started to ask, hope in his eyes.

"You want to sleep in there?" Zelos snorted. "You're crazy! It's all dirty and stuff…"

"Well… its better than sleeping out in the open…" Genis interrupted.

"Either way," Raine started. "It wouldn't hurt to look around the inside. We really do need a place to stay for the night. It's too dark to continue our travels."

There wasn't a whole lot to the inside of the small building. It only contained three small rooms, and each room didn't have any furnishings in it—except for the room to the left. And it only contained a dusty old hand-crafted bookcase.

"Oh…" nobody seemed to be impressed by the way it looked inside, either.

"It is shelter…" Presea shrugged, moving into the room on the right to drop her stuff to the floor.

"I agree," Regal nodded, tossing his belongings to the floor in the corner of the room.

"I'll cook!" Genis announced, running outside for a moment to gather up several dry branches and logs for the fireplace. "How does curry sound?"

"Can I help?" Sheena asked, reaching into her bag for her special ingredients.

Genis nodded his consent as the others' scattered to different rooms to put their belongings down.

Colette and Sheena were to sleep in the room on the left… while Raine, Presea, and Genis took the one on the right. Zelos, Lloyd, and Regal opted to sleep in the front room.

* * *

Regal sighed from his position on the ground. The curry had been wonderful… but sleeping on the ground was never really the most comfortable thing to endure. 

He had noticed the chattering over dinner… Everyone had seemed genuinely into it, except for the Professor and Colette. He assumed that Colette probably still felt bad about killing the dragon… and even he, too, realized that perhaps they should have just left well-enough alone.

But the Professor… she was such a mystery. Not only to he, himself, but most likely to everyone but her own brother. They had asked about her bandaged face, but the only explanation she gave was that it was a result of her stupidity.

Regal knew better. He wouldn't necessarily accuse her of lying… because he had no proof. But he had a feeling that there was a lot more to the picture than Professor Raine let on.

He had even offered to heal it for her… seeing as how if she tried to heal herself, it would do nothing at all.

She had turned his offer down, stating that it was her fault it had happened, and that it would be fine fairly quickly.

"Don't worry about it," she had said.

Shaking his head mentally, he sighed. Something was going on… It was just a feeling… a gut instinct. But it was similar to the feeling he had when Vharley had requested the exphere mine in exchange for Alicia.

Alicia was gone… it was too late for her.

But he didn't want to lose anyone. Be it Sheena, or Lloyd, or even Zelos… These were people he cared about…

He knew something was bothering the Professor. And he knew she didn't want to talk about it. That she was bottling it all up inside… and eventually, it would explode, destroying her… either physically or mentally… or perhaps both.

The night was so quiet… so… still. It was the calm before the storm…

Something would happen. And soon.

Though he didn't know exactly what it would be.

* * *

Colette turned over on the floor, again. It seemed that she had done it over ten times already… It was just so hard to fall asleep with the group separated by walls and doors. 

And she missed Lloyd.

And she knew it sounded so stupid…so silly… since he was only ten or fifteen feet away—right in the next room. But since the journey's start, she had gotten used to him breathing only a few feet away.

And when she felt scared… or unsure of herself… All she had to do was reach out a hand, and he would be there to hold her up when she felt like she was falling.

Slowly, she gathered up her blankets and opened the door, shutting it behind her as she padded into the next room. Stopping beside Lloyd's sleeping figure, she laid out her blankets on the floor beside him.

Snuggling under the blankets, she heard Lloyd stir from beside her.

"Mmmm… Colette?" he mumbled, his eyes half-open. "What're you doin' up?"

"I couldn't sleep, Lloyd…" she whispered softly. "I'm sorry for waking you up…"

"S'okay…" he mumbled, reaching over to give her a sleepy hug. "I don't mind."

"Thanks, Lloyd." She returned the hug and moved a little closer to the brown-haired teenager. "Thanks for holding me up…"

But Lloyd had already fallen asleep again.

Mmmm… The curry was looking good, already. She was so proud of her secret recipe for the food. Everyone cringed at the ingredients, but they all loved how it tasted after it was all put together.

* * *

_Stirring the delicious food, she smiled. How could life get any better? Eating curry… the sun was shining, bright and glorious… _

_Ahhh…_

_What a life!_

_Her face hovering over the food, she breathed in deeply, waiting for the wonderful aroma to drift past her nose._

_A few seconds passed before she crinkled her nose in disgust. _

_'This doesn't smell like curry…' she thought. 'It smells like… smoke!'_

And when she blinked, black smoke was pouring out of the pan.

* * *

Sheena awakened, her eyes flying open from the events of her dream. It had been so strange… She'd never burned curry before… so why in her dreams…? 

But when she opened her eyes, she was back in her dream… black smoke billowing around her, stinging her sensitive nose.

Closing her eyes, she did as she had always been told. Drop to the floor…and crawl to the nearest window… or door.

She knew that a window and a door were both located within the room. Somewhere. But first, she had to find Colette. Was she already out? Was she sleeping?

Her hands fumbling with the material on the floor, she tried to find Colette's bedding without opening her eyes. The smoke stung, and she didn't want to incur any permanent damage from it.

Finally, she opened her eyes, but found the space beside her unoccupied. Colette must have left in the middle of the night, or she must have already gotten out. She glanced around herself quickly, unsure as to the direction she should take to get to the door.

She couldn't even remember which direction she was facing…

She felt tears sting her eyes as she struggled to breathe in oxygen without the smoke getting in her lungs.

It was impossible…

Hitting a wall, she realized that she was running out of air… and that… if she didn't find a window or a door within the next few minutes, she would pass out… and it would be too late for her.

She moved her hands quickly over the wall, finding an indentation and several bumps.

_'Could this be the door?' _she wondered, tugging on it.

When it fell, however, she realized that she had been pulling on the bookcase, instead of the door, like she had thought.

It was a vital mistake.

_'Maybe I deserve this, though… I do deserve it… It must be my fate…'_

Her world was darkening, the little light there was faded slowly along with her thoughts.

'I guess I'll never get to see my gift…'

* * *

"Presea! Presea, wake up!" 

The pink-haired axe-wielder snapped awake quickly, taking in a sharp breath when she opened her eyes. She quickly regretted breathing so quickly…

She coughed heavily; her lungs trying to spew out the smoke she had inhaled.

"The cabin's on fire, Presea," Genis, the one who had awakened her, said quickly. "And it's like dry timber, so we have to get out quickly!"

Colette tugged on her hair beside them, nervously feeling around for the window.

"The window is four paces from the wall behind me," Presea said slowly, coughing again. "To the left."

Genis put an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the window that, thanks to Presea's directions, had been found by the blonde Chosen.

Making a motion toward Presea, he pulled his collar up and over his mouth. Nodding at his companion, he coughed. "It'll help filter out the smoke, okay?"

Presea nodded back and pulled the collar of her dress over her lips.

"What about the Professor…?" she questioned. "Is she okay?"

"Regal and Lloyd are waking her up. Let's just get out the window."

With the window open, the smoke cleared slightly—but only served to fuel the fire that was raging at the front of the cabin.

"Regal cannot climb out," Presea told him. "Someone would be left inside…"

The pink-haired girl motioned for Colette and Genis to stand behind her, while she hefted her heavy axe into the air.

Once fast swing splintered part of the wall. And another splintered the other side. One last motion gave them enough room to walk out- if they ducked.

* * *

"Professor!" Lloyd shook his teacher as hard as he could. There wasn't time to be gentle, or nice… Not when they had to get out before the entire building was on fire. Already the roof was starting to catch afire, and soon afterward, the timbers would fall inside. 

Regal grabbed a hold of her right hand and pulled upwards, nearly hauling her to her feet.

Her eyes flickered open. No questions asked, she allowed Lloyd to push her in the direction that the smoke was pouring- right out the hole in the wall.

When they stumbled out into the clear air, she was relieved to see Genis, Presea, and Colette already out, coughing, but alive.

She coughed heavily, wondering vaguely how much smoke she had inhaled. It couldn't have been too much really… considering they had all been sleeping on the floor.

For a moment, relief flooded the group. Small smiles flickered across their faces…

"Wait a minute…" Genis started, counting the number of people standing outside.

"Sheena!" Presea gaped, a hand going to her mouth, a the same time that Colette yelled "Zelos!"

"They are both inside," Raine rationed.

"Perhaps they found their way out of the other side of the building," Regal suggested.

Raine trailed behind them as they ran to the other side of the building to check. The Healer watched the roof of the house burn like a dry forest, sparks flying off of the quickly blazing wood.

You'll burn in hell! Burn in hell! 

Colette sighed in relief at the sight of Sheena sprawled across the grass outside of the window of the room. Grabbing the assassin's arms, she pulled her away from the house with Lloyd's help.

"Zelos is still in there!" Lloyd shouted over the sound of the crackling wood.

"Look!" Colette pointed to a hand clutching the windowsill… "We have to help him out, Lloyd!"

The two reached inside the building and pulled as hard as they physically could. After a few tries, the red-haired Chosen landed with a thud on the grass.

"Get away from the building!" Regal demanded. "It could collapse any second!"

Zelos half-stumbled to the edge of the woods, his eyes closed shut, but still feeling as if somebody had taken a hot poker to them.

"Healing Wind…" Regal whispered, the cool wind surrounding Zelos and Sheena, pulling the smoke from their eyes.

"My eyes…hurt," Zelos muttered, coughing violently. "Where's Sheena?"

"She's fine," Colette assured him. "And she's right beside you."

"Here?" the Chosen asked, reaching his hand out.

"Right here…" Colette grabbed his hand and set it on Sheena's head. "But if you had just opened your eyes, you'd know that…"

"Oh…" Zelos laughed unconvincingly, forcing his eyes to open. "I…" he started.

Sheena's eyes fluttered open slowly, aware of somebody's hand resting on her head. "I'm…alive?" she wondered aloud.

"Zelos got you out," Lloyd explained. "Are you alright?"

Sheena nodded slowly, looking over to Zelos, who was glancing around him with wide eyes.

"Guys…" Panic was rising in his throat, and it was evident in his voice. His hands moved in front of him in an almost crazy manner, almost as if he was still trapped inside the cabin, trying to find his way out. "Guys…I…I can't…I can't see….anything…."

Raine felt tears spring to her eyes at Zelos' words. And she felt as if she were hiding from everyone… from everything…

You'll burn in hell! 

It was her fault! She should have gone with Shobu…she should have left… She knew that he never lied… Shobu… he just didn't lie. When he promised something, he kept it. Always.

And he had told her she would burn in hell…

As she turned on her heel and ran, the Rune Staff in her hands, she could hear the sound of the building collapsing behind her… and she almost wished it had collapsed before she had heard Zelos' words.

Twigs snapped against her face, and she stumbled over the dense foliage covering the ground; but she didn't stop.

She would never stop…

She _couldn't_ stop…

She couldn't catch her breath, and her legs were getting tired, but she couldn't seem to stop running… Running from the words resounding through her head.

"You'll burn in hell for what you've done!" 

"But I'm not the one burning…" she whispered to the wind, as a tear found it's way down her face.

* * *

Woo. This is the longest chapter I've ever written for anything… Amazing, hm? A little over 20 pages in 12-point font. I only beta-read it…once. Haha. 

Anyway, like I said. It's AU for a reason. I have determined that it takes Mana (which is basically energy) to heal oneself. If Raine was to take her own energy to 'heal' herself, I would think that it would be nullified. I doubt it would do anything (despite what the game says/allows). It makes for some interesting stuff, though. Also, the forest is a random one I made up… I didn't want to use the existing ones—too boring.

And… you can call me all kinds of names now. D I originally have been planning this chapter for what seems like forever (in reality was only a few months).

Hugs and pawprints,

-KK


	7. Jaded Acceptance

What? An update? –gasp-

…………..

_Sound the bugle now- play it just for me_  
_As the seasons change- remember how I used to be_  
_Now I can't go on- I can't even start  
I've got nothing left- just an empty heart_

"Sound the Bugle"  
**-Bryan Adams**

**Take Me Away**-- Chapter 7  
_- Jaded Acceptance_

* * *

Sheena hardly noticed when Raine darted off into the woods. She, herself was still in shock after hearing the startling news of Zelos' inability to see. She half-believed that he was lying…but, she had to remind herself that she only _wished_ he were lying.

Because, if it was a lie, that would mean that it wasn't true. That he was really fine, and that he could still see.

But she knew that Zelos would never go so far as to pull a stunt so…stupid, so wrong… And she was torn between running into the woods herself, to spill out her guilt through tears, or to stay by Zelos' side.

The latter won out in the end. She could hear the rest of the group tittering, talking amongst themselves, leaving Zelos on the ground by himself, his hands stretched out in front of him. And Sheena felt her stomach twist in a mixture of horror and frustration.

Lloyd's mouth still hung agape, almost as if he didn't want to believe that the red-headed flirtatious man had suddenly gone blind overnight- in a literal sense. Sheena could see the confusion in the teenager's brown eyes.

Regal and Genis both appeared shocked at the latest happening, but were also glancing back and forth between Zelos, and the section of the woods that Raine had run off into just a few short moments ago.

Her gaze was drawn back down to Tethe'alla's Chosen… But the nearly-lost look in his eyes was enough to make her want to turn her head. She didn't want to see what she had done.

'Why Zelos?' she wondered silently, staring at the young man with sorrowful eyes. 'Why not somebody else…?'

And she knew it was an awful, horrible thought… but she couldn't stop it from crossing her mind. And it only took a second for her to feel twice as guilty, for thinking such a thing. But she couldn't help but wonder… Would she be as concerned if it had been Yuan, or Kratos, or Regal, or Raine, or Presea that had been blinded by the smoke and heat of the fire?

Would she feel as _guilty_?

She wanted to stomp her foot in frustration, to scream as loud as possible… to make the tight feeling in her chest go away… To just…make it _all_ stop.

To rewind the night, to change it all. If Zelos had been in the same room as she was to begin with, then they both would have gotten out fine… If Colette had been in the next room over, then she wouldn't have stopped to find her, and she would have made it out without getting anyone hurt…

'You should just be grateful,' a voice in her head reminded her. 'You should be happy that you're alive, and not a charred corpse right now.'

And for a moment, it worked. For a few, beautiful seconds… she felt as if nothing had ever happened. And then she felt Zelos' hand on her arm. His fingertips glided over her skin lightly, delicately, as if he wasn't sure where his hands were.

_'How can I be grateful that I'm alive, when I've taken such an important thing away from another human being?'_ She let her right hand settle on his.

"It's okay, Zelos. It's just me…"

"Sheena?" he asked slowly. "My voluptuous hunny?"

On a normal day, he would get slapped, or kicked, or reprimanded… but she couldn't hit him, when she had done far worse by blinding him. His blue eyes didn't have the shine that they once had, even though they were wide open in front of her.

She could see into his soul through those eyes…

But he would never know.

"Yes…" she finally sighed. "That's right." She averted her gaze again, noticing Zelos blinking rapidly out of the corner of her eye, as if he was trying to rid himself of his blindness. She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could, trying to block out the sounds of people talking, of Zelos' mutterings… of _everything._

Block it all out, lock it away…

_'I'm a woman!'_ she tried to tell herself. _'I can be just as strong as any man! I can handle this!'_

And before she knew it, her thoughts were changing…warped, in her own, quiet mind.

_'Is this how everything looks for Zelos…?'_ she wondered silently. '_Dark…empty…_'

She lowered her head quickly, wanting to purge those thoughts from her thinking, wishing that she had never thought of him blinded… Had never wondered…

But the thoughts were pouring in faster than she could process them. Thoughts about how Zelos would cope, how it felt to be Zelos, how the group would fight without him, what they would all do, and why it was him, and not somebody else…

And she hated herself for her thinking. For wanting it to be someone else, but knowing deep down that she would never wish it on another human being…

_'I wish it was me, instead…'_ she sighed, pushing the palm of her free hand against her face.

* * *

Everything was dark, and cold, and lonely.

But the fire was a dream. It _had_ to be. It was all just some sort of hilarious fluke, and he wasn't blind. He could see.

In fact, his eyes were open now, and he could see fields, and mountains, and-…no. No, he couldn't.

Well, then… it was all a game! That's right! A game! Lloyd, and Genis, and Sheena, and Presea, and Regal were all under a blanket on the floor of the cabin, getting ready to tell ghost stories…and it was _so_ dark that he couldn't see his own hand, even when he held it in front of his face.

He knew that he was only trying to kid himself. To make himself believe that it was all fake. That his eyes were functional, and that everything would be a-okay.

But it all felt so strange…so lonely. His eyes were open…but all that he saw was the swirling darkness. Which was also partially imagined. The pitch black that he saw wasn't swirling… though he wished it were.

Sheena was beside him…and he heard the others' talking nearby. The occasional muttering from the two youngest, and well thought-out words from Regal… Lloyd sounded as if he were unsure of what to say… he would start to say something, and then stop… as if he were afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Vaguely, he wondered where the Professor had gone, but that thought soon passed as others' followed in hot pursuit.

The last things he had seen flashed before him a hundred times in succession, it seemed.

_His eyes were wide…looking for anything that even __**resembled**__ the young ninja woman… and he had finally found her, oh-so grateful that she was still breathing, that she hadn't died and left him alone. And he'd stumbled the four or so feet to the window, unlatching the hard glass and throwing the panels on the floor behind him. He'd pushed her out the window, then, slowly sinking to the floor, grasping onto the edge of the window-frame, hoping that someone would pull him out. _

_And he had given up. His eyes had closed, tired of the burning and cloudiness… Just before his eyelids shut, he'd seen a flame lick around the door from across the room…_

Shortly after, he had been pulled free, but… the last thing he'd seen was the fire! That damned blaze!

And at first, he blamed everyone, and everything…questions running through his head that he knew that nobody would answer.

Was the fire completely put out before we went to bed? If not, Regal and Genis are to blame… Did somebody light a lantern late at night, and drop it into their bed sheets on accident? Did the Professor strike a match to read an ancient map?'

He immediately felt guilty. It was the forest, or Regal, or Genis, or Sheena, or Presea… but it was never him. He could have left the building alive… Sheena wouldn't have survived, but his sight would be intact. And he almost regretted the decision he'd made…

But…at least this way, they were both alive.

* * *

He smiled at the group from where he stood. He was just far enough away to keep them from seeing him, but he could watch them to his heart's content—which was exactly what he was planning on.

He'd followed them through the forest that day, almost disappointed that nobody had noticed his presence. Their fighting wasn't…laughable… but they weren't masterminds either. Had it not been for the blonde and the dark haired girl, the fight would have surely been a long one. Most likely resulting in many injuries.

He'd kept a close eye on the "Professor" as well. She was a healer. Her highest attack was…Ray. He would have laughed if he had been humored by it at all. The woman was weak. She could hardly take care of herself. She needed to become stronger… better. Or she would die.

Healing was all well-and-good, but it wouldn't save your own life. She could heal everyone but herself, and then where would she be? What if she was the last one standing in a fight? She'd attack with Ray, and be killed before she could even cast the spell…

He frowned.

'Yes… things will definitely have to change…'

Most of the information he'd gathered hadn't been…new per se, but had been only slightly different from what he already knew. He'd known Raine was a Healer, but Ray took so long to cast…and… however would she protect herself?

With that stupid shield move that the auburn-haired man had taught her so early in their travels?

She would be kidding herself.

The fire had gotten them started quickly, though. The old, dry timber had quickly gone up in flames. And it had been most amusing to see them all pour out of the windows and holes in the building…hacking and wheezing.

He'd gotten a good laugh when they realized that two of their party members hadn't made it out. Their teamwork was horrible! And very laughable… Some of them worked well together… but they didn't work well as a whole.

As one.

They were eight people fighting as eight people. They would never beat Mithos Yggdrasil as they stood. They had their year of fighting experience…and they would soon be trying to test it out on someone who had quickly risen to the top…and he had been there for 4,000 years.

The numbers didn't add up. He was sure they would lose.

But here the group was, oh-so shocked and sad about one of them losing their sight. At least four of them were dumbstruck… three were standing there like insane idiots… and the last one had run off into the woods. He would deal with the Professor later, though.

'I'll give her at least a few moments of time alone before I take that away from her…'

He grinned down at the idiots. Half of them at a loss, the other half just gaping. Emotionally, they got along, but they weren't all exactly…friendly.

'I wonder what would have happened if he had died?' he wondered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Here they all were, scattered and afraid… and the red-head was only blind! If he'd been paralyzed, or dead… they would be in ruins!

They were idiots. Every last one of them. And if someone had asked him why, he'd have simply said that it was because none of them were intelligent enough to just say that they should be grateful that they all got out alive… be grateful that he hadn't lost his hearing, his sight, and his speech!

They had everything in the world to be grateful for, and all they could see was the negative side of things.

They were so emotionally unstable, that it made his job all-the easier.

Jumping down from the tree he sat in across the clearing, he walked slowly and purposefully into the woods, almost glad that it was still several hours before the sun rose.

* * *

She felt as if she'd been running for hours, or days, or…years.

Though, from one point of view, she'd been running all her life. First, from the villagers of Heimdall, and the Sybak institute, and lately, from her past.

Her pace had slowed considerably. She had never been an agile person… had never been able to run for long distances… She'd always hidden in the shadows… waiting…

Though she hated the dark… She feared it too, at times…

Not being able to see what's around you…hearing things… but you never know what they are, or how close…

'That's exactly what Zelos is feeling… right now… thanks to my stupid, selfish self…'

And she stopped, seating herself at the side of a large tree, her staff across her lap. The Heart of Chaos was back in the cabin…probably burnt charcoal… so the Rune Staff would have to do.

She knew she had to go back… but… How could she explain her…running off like she had? She couldn't…not really…She'd just have to make up some flimsy excuse and go with it… and hope and pray that nobody would think that she had caused the fire…

She was certain that it was Shobu who had started that fire. And if she'd have just gone with the man to begin with, at least they would all be safe! Zelos would be able to see still…and nobody's lungs would burn from all that smoke…

She sighed, clearing her throat. Water would be nice… She wished she hadn't left her bag outside of the cabin.

_'Maybe I should head back now…' _she started to wonder, her thoughts coming to an abrupt halt at the sound of footsteps.

And, for a moment, she let herself believe that it was Lloyd, or Genis, or Regal…

"What are you doing out here…all by yourself…Raine…?"

She was on her feet in less than a second, her staff in her right hand, held at an angle across her chest. "S…Stay away!" she shouted, hoarsely, as his figure appeared not even ten feet from her. "Don't come any clo-" her words were interrupted by a cough. Her throat was dry… and shouting wasn't doing it any good…

"Aww! What's the matter? Smoke in your lungs?" He smiled, his face the epitome of concern, though his voice dripped sarcasm. "Maybe I should fix that…" he suggested, a grin covering his shadowed features.

"Don't touch me," she whispered fiercely, holding the Rune Staff straight in front of her.

"I wouldn't just…touch you…" he said a-matter-of-factly. "But either way, what could you do about it?"

"I could use Ray," she said, trying to sound confident, though her voice trembled just a fraction, and the rough scratchiness in her throat made her words sound pathetic.

"Do you realize… that in the time it would take you to chant that silly spell, I could snap your neck?"

His grin widened considerably at the look on her face. A mix of horror, shock, disbelief, and fear all stirred together. But that was Raine… She had no backbone…

"Or," he continued, "I could have you stretched out on the ground beneath me with my tongue half-way down your throat, and half of your clothes in the limbs of that tree."

"N…no." she said resolutely, obviously unnerved by his statement. "I won't let you…"

"Did you want to test that out? What happened last time we went through this, Raine?" He looked almost happy as different emotions flickered across her face. And as fear pushed its way to the top, he looked delighted.

"Shut up, Sho-"

His glare silenced her. It was an unspoken threat, but he'd voiced his displeasure already at her usage of his given name. "Itaki," she said stubbornly, using his surname instead.

"Good girl!" he cooed, mimicking petting a dog. "If you keep it up, I'll give you a treat!"

"Leave me alone! Just go away!"

"Why would I ever want to leave such a beautiful woman alone? And on this gorgeous night… It would be a shame!"

The statement sounded familiar to something that Zelos would say… but Raine knew the meaning behind it… Her stomach knotted up at the words, and she felt her calves tremble at the twisted smile he wore on his face.

"Don't come near me," the healer warned, gripping her staff tightly.

He walked forward a step, forcing her back.

Her thoughts ran through her head at light speed. If she ran, he'd catch her…if she fought him, he'd catch her…

But maybe…

Bowing her head, she chanted as quickly as she could, the words coming to her in a rush. Almost in slow motion, the spell was nearly over, and Shobu was racing at her. Her staff high in the air, she tried to finish the spell.

"Light!" she shouted, her eyes half-closed in concentration.

But the name of the attack never left her lips.

She found herself flat on the ground, Shobu practically straddling her waist, his lips pressed against hers tightly, silencing the key word to finish the attack.

She tried to wiggle out from under him, but he weighed more than she did, and her small frame couldn't hope to move even a fraction of an inch.

When he felt her muscles start to relax, he pulled away and sat up, one of his legs on either side of her waist. "Taste's like soot," he said, his voice making her sound like the inside of a chimney.

One of her hands still held her weapon… but barely. She moved her fingers slightly, edging the staff closer to the center of the palm of her hand, hoping that he wouldn't notice.

But something like that would never go unseen, and his fist pounding onto her hand quickly discarded that plan. The staff was halfway across the clearing, and her hand felt as if she'd slammed it in a door.

"Bad girl," he frowned darkly, shifting his weight on her waist. "…I mean, woman," he corrected himself, sliding his hands up the sides of her waist to rest on her chest. "You've…developed a lot since I first took you… Which is most certainly not a bad thing." He smirked, shifting his weight lower, so that he could hold her legs in place.

Panic rose in her throat. He couldn't… not now…not…no… it wasn't fair! It wasn't right… it was…

It was all her fault. If she had simply stayed at the cabin…if she hadn't run off… then none of this would be happening!

Maybe she deserved it, for lying so much… Maybe she was a bad person after all…

"Don't wiggle around so much," he snapped, putting his hand at her throat. "Not only can I break your neck, but I can break Genis' neck, or that little pink-haired girl, or the blonde…

She shuddered.

"Leave them alone…" she said slowly, her voice coarse.

"Only if you're a good girl…" he whispered, his mouth now against her ear. Running the edge of his teeth against the tip of her ear, he sighed. "Promise me, now, Raine… And I'll make it easier…"

She gritted her teeth, his touch making her sick to her stomach. "I…pro…mise." She eventually ground out, dread overtaking her at the look on his face.

"Mm…good." He quickly unbuttoned her coat, and then her shirt, leaving her in her bra. His hands were working on her shoes and pants, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut tight to keep from screaming at him to stop. She didn't want anything else to happen to the group of people she'd traveled with for so long… She'd brought them enough harm as it was…

"You have nice legs," he told her, running his hand down her thigh. "One of your only redeeming qualities, but at least you have a nice set of breasts, too… Or it would take three times as much to satisfy me." He smirked, his head ducking down to her chest as he tore off the only article of clothing covering her breasts. "I know I said I would make it easier…but I doubt it will be easy at all…seeing as how you've had no one in you for at least five years… Your body is like a virgin's again!"

His laughter made her bite her lip, and she almost welcomed the bitter taste of blood in her mouth. His hands were already all over her breasts, and his lips were leaving a trail down her stomach. Bile rose in her throat, and she had to clench her teeth together to keep from fighting against him, dreading what was coming.

The feeling of helplessness overtaking her felt more powerful than it ever had… She couldn't do anything for herself, but she could protect the ones that had let her stay with them for so long…

So she closed her eyes, and let a few tears leak out from under her lashes as he started pulling at the only fabric left covering her.

* * *

End of chapter. Yes, it's short. Don't cry. I'm so tired right now, I could shoot myself in the eyes with a water gun, and not notice. (It's 3:00am)

Changed the rating to "R". I don't want to get banned from thank you very much. I didn't want to describe the scene too graphically…as you can probably tell. It's not pretty, or cute, or cuddly.

My writing in this chapter was lacking. I apologize, but I am inexperienced with writing most things. As I'm editing this two years after this is written, I've completely lost my ability to write, so I can't very well edit this to make it "better".

Hugs,

-Kitten Kisses


	8. One More Lie

_Without The Mask  
Where will you hide?  
Can't find yourself…_  
Lost in your lies…

_By: Evanescence_

* * *

Take Me Away 

**Chapter 8- "One More Lie"**

* * *

**Dedicated to:** Angel White; thanks for helping me with this chapter! Also, you know which scene is for you –hugglepounces-

* * *

Morning had yet to come. The sky was still the same shade of blackish blue that you would see right before the sun poked its head above the soil in the East. But, morning would come, and when it did… a lot of decisions would need to be made. 

Regal sighed from where he stood, chopping vegetables for breakfast omelets. Nobody had really gotten to sleep, and even the ever-hungry, ever-bored Lloyd hadn't closed his eyes all night.

Presea kept her gaze on the sky, as if perhaps she was willing the sun to rise quickly.

The others were hovered around the red-headed Chosen, whose eyesight had not improved even a little… no matter what they had tried.

A good meal would do everyone good… It certainly would do them no harm, at any rate. After a relatively sleepless night, they would all need whatever nutrition they could get.

He put the neatly diced green peppers aside, and set out several tomatoes to chop. The tension in the small camp was horrible. Suffocating, even. He knew that they all needed to talk about what had happened the night before, but also, he knew that it was a delicate thing to bring up…

It was fairly obvious that nobody wanted to really…discuss it. Most of all the Professor, who had yet to come back from wherever she had gone to.

_'Where could she possibly have gone…?'_ he wondered to himself, feeling a small hint of satisfaction when his knife sunk deep into the tomato, cutting it cleanly in half. From what he already knew, Raine was a woman who liked to keep things to herself. Feelings, problems, and everything that fell in between those two categories. She just seemed to be the kind of person who wanted to be left alone.

Not that he would blame her for wanting to be left in solitude, either. He liked to have time to himself, too. And, he didn't particularly care to discuss his personal problems with the group of strangers he was traveling with. He still found it hard to believe that he had blurted out every other thing he knew about Alicia to them.

And, seeing as how the Professor and Genis were the only half-elves in the group… they probably felt a little lonely… But, from what he had heard…they had never really known any other of their kind. They had lived nothing but a lie in Iselia… and that fact must have been a heavy burden for them…

But really…what person in the group wasn't living a lie of some sort? They were all hiding something… all desperate to make sure that nobody else found out. Though, it was fairly obvious that some tried harder than others.

He could still remember how Lloyd had endlessly pestered Professor Raine about her supposed fear of water. He had practically cornered the poor woman, and with everyone standing there… pretending that they weren't listening… She had felt she had no choice but to tell.

Though, it seemed just a little too obvious to him…that she hadn't told them everything. But the way that Lloyd had asked… he acted as if he really cared. And everyone who was listening… too.

'Do they even care? Do they really want to know about everybody's life, or do they just go along with it all to act like we all get along in harmony?'

It was a thought he almost wished he hadn't thought of. Here they were, a group of eight (sometimes nine) people, wandering two different worlds… with only one common goal. Mithos Yggdrasil. So, why did they even bother to talk at all, when they really only seemed to have one thing in common?

The Duke didn't like to think of himself as a pessimist, but lately, his thoughts had really been driven to the negative side. He did know why they talked, though. At least, he knew why most of them talked. To ease the pressure.

Such young people… and all of the younger ones… So innocent, so… overpowered by the will to save the world that they wanted to grow up in.

The worst weight to bear… They needed to talk about silly, trivial things…just to keep going. To continue plodding ahead, putting one foot in front of the other…

He felt a small pang of guilt hit him, then. They were all so… trusting of the fact that they would win the fight to save everyone…everything… But, whatever would they do…should one of them fall in battle?

Here was Zelos… only blinded, and they all seemed so distressed by it… He glared down at the tomato in front of him. He would just have to fight stronger, then. He would do his best to keep them all together… even if they were only together as eight separate people.

He felt satisfied with his decision. He would have to try to keep the group together, to keep them from falling apart. They all appeared to get along well-enough (with the obvious fact that Genis didn't seem to care for his company, and how Raine seemed to distance herself from everyone)… he just had to make sure that they didn't split apart and crumble into a million pieces…

Which would start with some firewood for the breakfast that they would hopefully share together… And then, of course finding Professor Raine. He needed to warn her of running off like that. Goodness knows what could be lurking in the shadows out there… He knew she wasn't…helpless, but really… she needed to look after her own well-being a little more.

Which would have to start with eating. Skipping meals would do her no good. It almost made his own stomach ache thinking about how often she would take one bite, and then push her plate away.

Regal stood up slowly, wiping his hands on the simple white apron around his waist. The firewood would have to come first, however. Without heat, they would be eating raw eggs, vegetables, and cheese.

_'I don't think that that would make anyone feel any better…'_ he thought, moving toward the center of the camp.

"Whatcha up to, Regal?" Lloyd asked, rolling over on the ground. "It's not even morning, yet."

"Firewood," he answered simply, nodding toward his makeshift cooking space. "It's not as if anyone has slept at all…though."

"True." Lloyd frowned, sitting up to rub as his eyes. "I was tired, but every time I closed my eyes…" he shook his head slowly. "I kept picturing what happened when we were in the house… Only, it wasn't just one person alone in there… I couldn't see anyone, and everyone was screaming…moaning…" He sighed heavily. "I'd rather not sleep, anyway."

The Duke nodded in agreement. "Food will do you good," he told the normally energetic brown-haired youth.

"Has Professor Raine showed up, yet?" Sheena cut in from between Zelos and Colette. "I haven't seen her at all…"

"No, she hasn't…" Colette sighed lightly, craning her neck to look around the clearing again, just to make sure. "She just seemed to run off… I mean, I've never really seen her do anything like that before…"

"She can't have gotten off too far…" Lloyd reasoned. "She sucks at running."

"Lloyd!" Sheena sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's been nearly six hours. She could be halfway out of the forest by now."

"Yeah…well… I was just saying." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Maybe I should go look for her, then. I still don't think she could have run too far."

"That is a good idea," Regal told him. "Take someone else with you, though. We don't need you to be killed out there by yourself."

"I would go," Zelos said slowly, finally speaking up. "But I can't even see where I'm at now."

Colette scooted over to the other Chosen and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Zelos. I'll bet you're still a million times more useful in a battle than I am…"

Sheena looked at the two Chosen's, and then at Lloyd. "I'll go with you," she volunteered. "If anyone could find her, it would definitely be us… But…I'll lead. I don't want you to get us lost!"

Lloyd sent a mock glare her way. "I didn't get us lost!" he insisted, pushing himself to his feet. "I just…didn't know where we were at!"

"Riiight," Sheena grinned, resisting the urge to tell Lloyd that he had just contradicted himself. "I'm still leading."

The two walked out of the clearing, in the same place that they had seen Raine exit earlier in the day.

"Where are they going?" Genis asked Colette. While the group had been talking, he had been snagging a green pepper from Regal's ingredients.

"To find your sister," Regal answered for the blonde. "She hasn't returned, yet."

"Why didn't they ask me to go with them?" the young mage half-growled, fisting his hands. "I'm her own brother, after all!"

"Do you need firewood?" Presea asked the blue-haired man, slowly, interrupting Genis' tirade.

Regal nodded. "For a fire to cook breakfast with."

"I will get it for you," she said, turning around to heft her axe over her shoulder. "It will not take long."

"O…oh! Presea!" Genis nearly shouted, his face reddening. "I'll go with you! Uhm… I could help you carry some wood back!"

The pink-haired girl blinked, but nodded her head slowly. "If you wish…" she answered, moving toward the edge of the small clearing.

That left only Regal, Zelos, and Colette in the clearing. Regal decided to get back to cooking preparations, seeing as how the cheese hadn't been sliced, yet. Two people were searching for Raine, and two were getting firewood.

Everything seemed to be working fine in the group. Now all they had to figure out is where Raine had run off to, and why she had left…or, better yet…why she had picked that particular time-frame to leave in.

The more Regal thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. He didn't want to accuse the Professor of anything…but it seemed rather strange that she would run off the minute that Zelos announced in a shocked tone…that he was unable to see.

She couldn't have possibly have been so upset by this news that she had run into the woods. She never could stand Zelos… at least, when the man's mouth was open. If she had been hurt, she would have stayed to be helped…right?

The only real reason he could come up with…that would have made her run into the forest at Zelos' announcement… was a reason that he didn't want to believe… Couldn't believe- especially with Genis still present.

The Professor hadn't…started the fire, had she?

* * *

The dark trees seemed to hide in the shadows as Lloyd and Sheena fumbled their way through the maze of vegetation. Roots seemed to stick out in the strangest places, and leaves crunched underfoot with every step. 

"Ya know…if she really wanted to hide herself, she would have no trouble staying hidden…" Lloyd muttered, stepping on another twig, breaking it cleanly if half.

"What do you mean?" Sheena asked him, puzzled. "Wouldn't we hear her run off again, or something?"

"Maybe. But, I mean, we're so loud and everything, she'd probably hear us coming from a mile away." He pushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in his eyes. "I feel so …dirty."

"We smell like smoke, still," Sheena shrugged… "I would just be grateful I'm alive… I would much rather smell like smoke…"

"Than be dead?" Lloyd finished. "Me too."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds in the hushed morning being their footfalls, and soft breathing.

"Why do you suppose Professor Raine ran off…?" Sheena spoke up after awhile, her voice quiet. "I mean…she couldn't have been upset by …Zelos being blind…_that_ much…could she?"

"I dunno… I mean, she never did seem to like Zelos… Maybe she felt bad for smacking him all the time?" Lloyd shook his head. "I never can tell anything about her. She never tells anyone anything."

"I don't blame her, really. She doesn't really know any of us. And…she's a half-elf too…"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Lloyd asked defensively, sounding almost angry.

"I don't mean that in a bad way," Sheena said, quickly amending her words. "I mean that in a totally different way. She practically lived a lie her whole life…you know? She said she was an elf, and she wasn't…and everyone believed her…"

"And now Iselia is still mad at her…yeah…I see what you mean, now." Lloyd shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand why race is so…all-important anymore."

"It's almost as if nobody cares _who_ you are, as much as they care _what_ you are." Sheena stopped between two trees and looked at Lloyd. "Look at us…we're human."

"Yeah…"

"And Regal, he's human too. But because he killed Alicia…to save her from what she was forced to become… he's a convict…a killer."

Lloyd frowned. "And Colette and Zelos are…Chosen… That's all they are, that's all anyone wants them to be… Sacrifices for them…"

"Exactly." The ninja girl folded her arms over her chest. "Raine and Genis are half-elves…shunned no matter which world they are in… and Presea is a human, stuck in a young body… but she was considered a…freak, because she didn't know that her father was dead…"

"Kratos is an angel." Lloyd looked up through the treetops. "But what does that make us, then?" he wondered, half to himself. "Are we anything different…anything…that's not normal?"

"Is being normal a good thing…?" Sheena asked him…though, it seemed like more of a statement. "If being normal means…that you cannot accept a person because of what they look like, or what they've done… then… I hope I'm not normal."

The swordsman sighed. "I'm not sure…" he replied, one hand fiddling absent-mindedly with the hilt of the sword on his right side. "I guess I could be considered a meddler, since I seem to always get into things that are really none of my business. Especially with…Marble…"

"But, think about it this way…" she told him. "If you hadn't gone through that, you would never have cared about Chocolat at all. Also, you might have never made it this far… You might not have felt the need to follow Kratos, Raine, and Colette on their journey…"

"I guess you're right." He smiled at her. "I never really tried to look at that in a different light. But, what does that make you, then?"

"A failure, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders, her dark hair catching the small bit of orangey light that filtered in through the treetops. "I failed my entire village, and killed so many people…"

Lloyd put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Sheena, the only people who consider you a failure, are the ones who are refusing to let a mistake be a mistake… Just like with Regal… if he hadn't killed Alicia, then she might have ended up killing other people… And, either way… he would have been blamed for the aftereffects."

"Thanks, Lloyd…" She looked up at him, a wobbly smile in place. "I guess you're right…"

"Eh," he shrugged. "It'll be the first time I was right in a long, long time."

She chuckled for a moment, and then quickly sobered. "What do you think we should do about Zelos…?"

Lloyd started walking again, and Sheena had to run to catch up. "I don't know, Sheena. I really don't know. Everyone seems to deem me some kind of 'Leader' or something… but I'm really anything but that. I hate making decisions that are going to change a life… Whether it's my life, or yours, or someone else's entirely."

"I think I know what you mean… but…I guess I just feel sorry for him… Or bad…you know? Cause I couldn't help myself…"

"Everyone can't always help themselves…" Lloyd said slowly. "If we could, then there would be no need for friends, or marriage… or love. We would all wander alone."

Sheena stopped. "I blinded him, Lloyd…" she said almost angrily. "I couldn't find that damned window, and because of that, he had to come after me. And now…now he can't even… see anything."

The swordsman stopped too, and turned to face her. "He had to have wanted to save you, Sheena…or he would never have gone in there after you…"

She ignored his statement, and looked up at the flaming sunrise through the treetops. "Do you suppose he feels alone, now?" she asked him, her voice small and strained. She could feel tears threatening to spill, but refused to let them out. "I'm so angry at myself…for letting this happen…"

"It's not your fault, Sheena," Lloyd insisted again, putting his arms around her in a tight hug. "It's not your fault."

"But it _is_… It is… If I hadn't…"

"There's no use in thinking of what would have happened if something else had happened… Sheena, you would have _died_ in there… And we would all have blamed ourselves for what happened… Zelos most of all…"

She sniffed, returning the hug.

"Zelos might be blind… Sheena, but he's not dead. He's still alive… He has feelings, and emotions… and he might be scared and lonely… But, the best way to help him, is to be with him."

"Help him to see what he can't?" she asked slowly, pulling away from the young man.

"Yeah, stuff like that." He grinned sheepishly. "We'd better keep looking for the Professor… I hope she's okay…"

"I'm sure she's fine," Sheena tried to reassure him, and herself. "If she was attacked, she would probably lecture the enemies to death on the biological genes of animals…or something."

Lloyd chuckled to himself. "I wouldn't doubt it," he answered.

* * *

The sun had now made an appearance in the clearing, shining dully down on the two Chosen sitting side-by-side. 

"How are you feeling, Zelos?" Colette asked timidly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I mean, do you feel okay?"

"I guess… It's not as if being blind _hurts_. I mean, the burns hurt, don't get me wrong. It's just that being blind sucks, that's all." He sighed and rested his head on his right hand, his shoulders hunching forward. "I hate it, but it can't be reversed, so I guess I should just get used to it."

"Uh…well…you're not dead at least…so that's good…" She smiled at him a little, even though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, well…I guess. But, now instead of helping you guys, I'm hindering you all. I hate being useless." He was almost horrified at the thought that he would no longer be able to participate in battle. His friends _needed_ his help to defeat Yggdrasil, and he would be of no assistance now.

"You're not useless, silly." She put a hand on his shoulder and cocked her head to the side. "Now, Koton would be useless."

The corners of his mouth turned up a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. He would be flailing on the battlefield, screaming about how he could beat the enemy if only he had his antique swords… even though he never held one."

"Yeah!" Colette gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "See? Try to think positive sometimes."

"It's not exactly easy, you know. I can't see a danged thing. It's like…every time I look around, there's nothing to see but dark nothingness."

"I guess I kind of felt that way when I started loosing my senses…" She noticed one of Zelos' eyebrows go up in question of her comment. "I mean, because us Chosen are supposed to be…sacrifices for our respective worlds… we don't need to be able to feel, or taste, or talk…" She traced a circle in the dirt in front of her with her free hand. "I guess not being able to talk was the worst… Cause I couldn't hide the fact that I couldn't feel or taste anything…if I couldn't lie about it…"

"You lied…?"

"Yeah, I'm not proud of it or anything…But I didn't want Lloyd or the others to find out… so I tried to hide it all. But it was hard to hide, because when I got hurt, I didn't even know it…"

"Did they all find out after you couldn't talk…?"

"Lloyd found out before all that…" She smiled in embarrassment at the memory. "He brought me coffee… and he said, 'Isn't it hot?'… I couldn't tell, so I said that it was… and then he said 'I lied. It's cold.' I was so confused…" she giggled. "I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell whether it was hot or cold or _anything_." She looked down. "That's when I had to tell Lloyd… but he didn't tell anyone. I made him promise…Eventually, though, everyone had to be told…I mean, after I couldn't talk…"

"That must have been hard…huh?" the red-haired Chosen asked her softly. "Not even being able to communicate…" He almost added on something about how hunnies needed to be able to communicate through speech, but he really didn't have the heart.

"Oh…it's not much different than being unable to see. But Lloyd helped me… I would trace words onto his hand with my finger…and he always knew what I wanted to say." She leaned over and gave the other Chosen a squeeze. "Maybe you just need somebody to tell you what you can't see."

"Hmm…"

"But hugs always help you feel better. That's what Lloyd and I always said, anyway…" she hugged him tighter. "Did that make you feel better?"

Zelos smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess it did…" He fumbled for her hand, and when he found it, he gave it a light squeeze. "Thanks, Colette." He'd always bragged about how cute the blond was, but he'd never really gotten to know her. Gotten to see or hear about everything that had happened before he joined the group.

"Us Chosen's have to stick together, right?" she smiled lopsidedly. "Don't worry, Zelos. We'll all help you out the best we can."

"Okay…" he looked upward with unseeing eyes. "What does the sky look like, right now?"

"Well…" she started, her hand still in his. "The sun just rose about twenty minutes ago…and the east is lit up with a flaming orangey-pink glow; complete with pretty clouds… And right above you…the orange and pink meet the blue…and some of the clouds are sprayed with orange, pink, and purple…"

* * *

Genis had his arms full of firewood, as he stumbled back to camp with Presea at his side. Presea could probably make a firewood-cutting business all by herself. The stack of wood he was carrying was as tall as he was. 

He snuck a little peak over at the pink-haired girl, his face flaming red almost instantly. She was just so…cute. He didn't think that he'd ever seen anyone as pretty as her, before. Her hair was a little mused up from the light breeze, but he only thought it made her look even more nice.

He sighed.

"Is something the matter?" she asked him, turning her head to the side, slightly.

"Uhmm….n-nothing!" he stuttered, lowering his head a little. "I just…uhm… was…wondering about my sister!"

"Oh. Do you know why she ran off?"

"N…no… but… I mean… I never… She never has done anything like that before… at least…not that I remember…" he shifted the wood in his hands to get a better grip.

"Did…the fire…scare her?" Presea asked slowly, a few loose strands of hair falling in her face.

"I…don't think so… but… then again, maybe it did…"

"Is that a good reason to…run off?" she questioned, the axe on her back sliding a little.

"Well… being afraid? I guess…it would depend…" he answered, curious as to why she was asking him so many questions.

"On what?"

"What you were afraid of. If you were afraid of …uh…bugs, then that's not really a reason to run… but if you're afraid for your safety, I guess it would be…"

"Was Professor Raine afraid for her…safety?"

"She got out of the building safely… so… I don't think that would be why she ran…"

"Oh…" she continued to walk, her eyes focused on the sky as if she were thinking. "Did the…fire…scare you?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Y…yeah…a l…little," he admitted. "I've never been in a burning building before…"

"I see…" she said shortly, looking at the ground.

_'Great…now she thinks I'm some kind of…weakling…' _he thought angrily to himself. "But…I wasn't…uhm…_that_ scared…just a little bit."

"Is…being scared…similar to…not liking it?" she asked him, half-ignoring his comment.

"A…little," he answered, confused. "Why?"

"I…did not like…the fire," she answered slowly. "Does that mean that…I was scared?"

_'Uhmm…how do I answer this…. Uhm….Oh! I'll just pretend like…uh…I'm writing an essay on it…or…something.'_ He thought.

"If it made your heart pound…and… thinking about it makes you want to think about something else… And…you don't ever want to go back…then…you might have been scared."

"I…was scared, then," she answered, a matter-of-factly. "It makes my heart… upset to think about it."

"Oh…P…Presea…"

"What…?"

"I…uhm…will protect you, Presea. I won't let you get scared again… I'll make sure of it!" he blushed brightly, embarrassed but pleased with himself for saying what he thought.

"…I…Thank you, Genis…" she answered, looking down at the ground, her cheeks tinted faintly pink.

"N…no problem… But uh…we should probably get this wood back so that Regal can start…breakfast…"

"Yes… we should…" she answered, quickening her pace.

Genis grinned crookedly… _'She's…so cute…" _ he sighed, running forward a little to catch up.

* * *

Regal had long-since finished cutting up vegetables and cheese for the omelets, and had resorted to looking through the ashes of the cabin. He'd found the remains of metal hinges…table legs… and, currently, he had found something very…interesting. 

The light and dark grey ashes seemed to pulse… almost as if something underneath them was moving…twisting… He almost wanted to walk away and leave it there…but human curiosity got the best of him, and he reached for a thick twig to scrape away the ashes.

A dark shape was indeed underneath the collapsed building… and the more ashes he uncovered, the more disturbing the image became to the Duke. After about half of the …thing was unburied, he watched in near fascination as it twisted and bent itself… wiggling like a disgusting worm.

Sticking the small branch underneath the shape, he pried it out from under the ashes, and it flipped into the air before landing on the ground again…still twisting…though at a slower pace. Almost in a rhythmic pattern.

His eyes grew slightly wider as he realized what it was that he was looking at… The Heart of Chaos had survived the fire…

* * *

The first thing that Raine felt… was anguish. Her eyes felt as if they were glued to her face… opening them seemed…so hard to do… difficult… and it hurt to even move…But the pain came to her all at once. Bruises and small lacerations…and the sensation of a warm liquid trailing lightly down the inside of her thighs. 

The memories of the night came back to her, then… rushing to her mind in one swift blow. And she almost wished she were dead…so that she would not have to open her eyes to see what she looked like…now…

But her lashes started to flutter, and soon, she was staring dully at one of her arms, and own bare chest. Her head was bent inward, resting on one of her arms; her other arm lying limply over her waist.

Biting her lip, she pulled herself to a sitting position. Shobu was nowhere in sight. She breathed a slow sigh of relief for that…

_'Maybe I can get…cleaned up…and… out of here…'_ she thought to herself, checking over her body for anything serious. There were bruises on her neck, chest, arms, stomach, and legs… a few smaller lacerations that she had gotten for trying to fight back… and, of course, the…blood.

Just the sight of it made her head spin quickly, and only her empty stomach kept her from vomiting. Her stomach was cramped up enough as it was, and for her to see the obvious evidence of being taken by him…yet again, did nothing to make it better.

She stumbled over to where her clothes had been thrown the night before…cringing at their condition… But…at least her clothes had no blood on them.

She picked them up slowly, and started walking in a random direction…hoping that she would be able to find a small spring…or pool…to clean herself in.

It took nearly twenty minutes for her to find a small pond of clear water… She took the sleeve of her coat and tore off a part of one of the sleeves that was only barely hanging on. It would work as a washcloth, of sorts…

The bruises were raw and tender, and it hurt to scrub at them, but she felt so…dirty. Even when she had washed herself ten times over… she could feel his hands making their way across her pale skin. The only satisfaction she found, was that at least…she had stopped bleeding. The torn tissues were still sore and hurt like there was no tomorrow…but…there was no blood.

_'How can I go back…like this…' _she sighed, flicking the water around her with her thumb and index finger. _'Maybe it would be better…if they thought me to be dead…'_

A twig in front of her snapped, and her gaze flew up in alarm as she made a feeble attempt to hide her nudity.

"I already know what you look like naked, you shouldn't bother to hide it from me." His voice was low, but…he didn't sound angry. "I can see you whenever I please. Get out of there and get some clothes on."

"Y…yes…" she stuttered softly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Make it fast, I don't have all day. I would have come back for you much sooner, wench, but you splattered blood all over me, and I had to clean myself up." He scowled down at her.

She didn't answer him, and, instead, picked up her bra and tried to fasten it on, even though a couple of the clips were missing, and one of the straps was broken.

"What do you say, Raine?" he asked, tapping a foot impatiently.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes full of exactly what he wanted to see. Submission. "I…I'm …sorry," she whispered, pulling on her white shirt.

"Good." He leaned over her and put a hand on the side of her face. She flinched at his touch, but he smiled. "Thank you for last night, Rainey," he said softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She was silent, her eyes downcast, as she pulled on her underclothing, and then her pants. She picked up her coat and slipped it on, and stood slowly.

"Now, we're going to be taking a nice little walk back to your group," he told her slowly, smiling with satisfaction when her eyes opened wider in shock. "I'm sure they've been out looking for you, and …they must be worried."

"You don't care," she said roughly, her hands jammed into the pockets of her coat, eyes looking at the ground.

"Oh, but I do, I do…" he said slowly. "Come on, now, Raine… If we don't get started now, they might move on before we get there…"

* * *

"Did you find her?" Colette asked Lloyd worriedly, when they returned from their search. 

Sheena shook her head. "Not even a trace of her… she must have been walking all night…" She twisted her hand in her shirt nervously. "I hope she's okay…"

Genis and Presea were setting the wood in a stack underneath a metal rack, and trying to light it with Genis' Fireball attack.

"No luck?" Regal asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

Lloyd shook his head. "No… None at all…" He noticed something on the ground behind Regal, and tried to get a look. "What's that?" he asked.

"The Heart of Chaos. I found it in the ashes." The blue-haired President shrugged. "I suppose that the Devil's Arms are indestructible…"

"That's creepy," Zelos interjected. "It survived a fire and it's perfectly fine? That's just plain weird, if you ask me."

"Yeah," Sheena agreed. "I'm sure Raine will come back soon, though. She can't leave her best weapon behind…"

Genis nodded from beside the fire. "Yeah, that's true. The fire's ready, by the way."

* * *

The group sat in a circle around the little fire, a plate in each of their hands, waiting to be served. 

"Alright, Lloyd, what would you like in yours?" Regal asked, using his spatula to transfer Sheena's omelet from the pan to her plate.

"Everything but tomatoes," Lloyd said, making a face. "They're evil or something."

Sheena gave Lloyd a sideways glance. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing… I just don't like tomatoes…" he grinned sheepishly.

Their light bantering was interrupted by the sound of a twig snapping. They turned around to see Raine and another man standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Sis!" Genis shouted, his mouth half-full of food.

"Who are you?!" Lloyd asked stubbornly, looking right at the man standing beside his teacher. "You didn't hurt her, did you?"

The man chucked lightly. "Of course not," he said, waving one of his hands dismissively. "Right Raine?" he asked, tugging on her hand to bring her closer.

She nodded slowly.

"Why did you run off like that, Sis?" her brother asked. "We were worried about you!"

"I was confused…" she started. "And…angry, at how something so simple could do so much damage…" So it was a lie. Big deal, another lie on the stack wouldn't hurt… would it? She couldn't tell the truth…she would only hurt them all…

"She came to me," the man said softly, putting an arm around Raine's shoulder, which clearly annoyed Genis. "We've known each other for a long time…she just needed some comfort…"

Regal noted that the Professor looked slightly uncomfortable at this, but shrugged it off as embarrassment. "Why would she go to you, for comfort?" he challenged, his curiosity getting the better of him. He didn't mean for his voice to sound so confrontational, but the situation was so strange that he really couldn't help himself.

'It just doesn't seem…correct, that she would suddenly show up with a stranger… and she doesn't look…all that comfortable with the man…'

"I am Shobu Itaki…" He did a half bow, smiling all the while.

"You didn't answer his question," Genis glared. "What are you doing with my sister?"

Lloyd and Sheena nodded in agreement with Genis.

"Pardon me," he apologized, pulling Raine close. "Rainey and I… are…" he looked down at her, his eyes softening. "Lovers…"

* * *

Oh…yes… Very interesting, hmm? Now that you've read it, please feel free to review. I definitely can't refuse reviews. I thank you all for 100 reviews! 

If you liked this so far, check out **Angel White's** "ConflictionsoftheMind", I guarantee that you'll like it (probably twice as much as this one!)

Pawprints,

--Kitten Kisses

EDIT::: 4/24/07

I am so, so sorry for not updating this. I've started to replay the game, and have been spending the boring moments at work (it's such a soap opera there) trying to think of ways to make this plot bigger and better. Please don't lose hope. This story is _not _on my 'will never be continued' list.


End file.
